One person's past, is another's future
by Francine S
Summary: Jack went off with the Doctor, but now he is back, how will his team respond. Who is the new recruit and how is her past entwined with Torchwood's future, Janto, Towen and Gwys
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first ever story, let me know what you think, really would appreciate any feedback, I have decided to post as I go, so there may be delays, it is also unbetaed and as I'm Australian there may be words that aren't right for the story, let me know if you find any and just let me know what you think of the story in general**

**At the moment it will be rated K+, but it is likely to become higher as the story goes on**

**This story is set during the second series, starting Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, so there are spoilers for all of series one, there also will be spoils for season two and children of earth, as well as season four of doctor who and the end of time **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Torchwood or any of the characters, if I did Gwen would have never had been apart of the show and Ianto and Jack would have lived happily ever after**

**Enjoy reading and please review**

"Hey kids. Did you miss me?" Jack scans the room looking at the team he has missed so much and never thought he would see again.

No one looked his way, too intent with their task. Jack was hurt, he didn't mean to be away for so long, the doctor had assured him that he would be back within days of when he has left, but of course the TARDIS had other ideas, taking him instead three months after he had left. Now his whole team refused to look him in the eye.

But standing back watching, he was so proud of how they had grown to a close knit family while he had been away. Watching them deal with the mess left from the blow fish. Owen dealing with the wounded, Tosh already removing any evidence from the CCTV, Gwen calming the mother down, and Ianto, his Ianto, coming with a cover story. As he scans the room he couldn't be prouder, then he sees her. A girl of no more than nineteen, with long brown hair, cleaning all the blood and mush left from the blowfish. Something his team should have been doing, not her.

"Anyone want to let me in on what's going on?" he quizzes of his team, while still watching this stranger, now grabbing the body.

None of his team looks up, only this girl.

"You must be Jack Harkness" she replies as she moves the body out of the lounge room.

"How do you know my name" he demands after her, but she is already gone.

"Who is that?" he questions his team, becoming more and more annoyed.

"She is the fifth member of Torchwood" Gwen mutters as she storms past Jack.

"She can't be the fifth member," Jack corrects, "We already have five members, and she certainly is not one of them."

"There's no we anymore Jack" Owen snipes as he too storm out of the room having clean up all the wounds.

"What do you mean there's no we anymore," Jack becoming more and more lost as too what is going on with his team.

"This is no longer your team Jack, you left us, we moved on, we needed another agent, there wasn't enough without you," Tosh supplies as she slips past Jack to join Owen, Gwen and the strange girl, leaving Jack alone with Ianto, as Gwen had already moved the family their bedrooms.

"Is that true Ianto, do you no longer consider me apart of the team" Jack pleas, hoping to get some reaction out of the quiet Welshman, who had not even acknowledged him the whole time.

Ianto looked up, for the first time in three long months setting eyes on the man that had come to mean so much to him in such a short amount of time. All the emotions he had been feeling came flooding back through his body and mind, leaving him unable to breath, let alone answer Jack. Jack stood watching Ianto, hoping that he had not lost Ianto, not again. He looked so scared, angry and confused.

Just as he seemed to be about to speak, the girl came in. "You ok Ianto, Gwen wants to get going now, before we get anymore rift alerts" interrupting the moment.

Jack was fed up by now, getting no answers. "Who are you" He growls at this stranger.

"You can call me Jestine, now if you are coming with us you better hurry up, cause I'm sure if it were up to the others they would be leaving you behind"

With that she grabbed Ianto by the shoulders and lead him out. Jack had no choice but to follow, he didn't want to be left behind, he didn't know if his team had changed the access codes or not and didn't want to risk it.

**Ok so that's my first chapter of my first story done, hope you enjoyed it, would make me so happy if you could let me know what you thought.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok so this is the second chapter, its longer than last time, so I hope people like it better, thanks for those who reviewed, favorite or alerted this story, it was what encouraged me to stay up to finish writing this chapter. Once again, this chapter is unbetaed, so any mistakes are mine and please tell me if you find any, don't be surprised if you do, never was any good at English.**

**Not too much happens in this chapter, but more will in the following chapters, this one is more about setting it up, as was the first chapter, the next chapter should be up by Wednesday**

**Disclaimer: haven't obtained the rights to Torchwood since last chapter, so they are still property of RTD and the BBC, if I did own them, Gwen would have never been on the show and Jack and Ianto would have lived happily ever after.**

The whole ride back to the hub, no one would even glance at Jack. Within moments of them pulling up at the hub, everyone had bounded out, in a hurry to get as far away as possible from him.

He leans against the SUV, sighing, would he ever be able to get his team to talk to him again. Remembering the year that never was, Jack couldn't believe that he could be losing them all over again.

Just as he was sinking into a deep pit of despair, he heard a cough and turned to find Jestine watching him.

"You going to stand there all day, or actually do something, all the stories I was told of Jack Harkness, he didn't give up so easy, I guess they were wrong about you."

And with that she was gone, leaving him once again all alone, with no idea as to whether he would ever truly get his team back.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Walking through the cog door, he stood watching the people, who once were his team, family, working away, without him. How could he have thought The Doctor was worth leaving these people for, if only he had realized sooner.

"Standing here watching them isn't going to help" Jestine murmurs as she moves past to join the rest of the team.

Jack wandered down towards the work stations, hoping that now they were over the shock of him being back, they may just start talking to him again. But the team continued to ignore him, working through the data that they had, without so much was a glance at him.

"Got pretty organized without me." He hopes flattery might get them to talk to him, but instead it just seemed to enrage Gwen.

"Yeah, well we had to" Gwen mutters as she continued to look at the information at her screen.

"Hey, did you decorate in here?" in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"You left us, Jack!" Gwen lashes out and pushes him into the door.

"I know. I'm sorry." Jack sighs, realizing that it was going to be no easy way to win his team back.

"We knew nothing Jack!" Gwen yells at him, as everyone stops to watch.

"Where were you?" Tosh interrupts Gwen's rant.

"I found my doctor"

"Did he fix you" Owen now joining in.

"What's to fix? You don't mess with this level of perfection." Jack quips back, grateful that the team was at least talking to him.

Then in almost a whisper Ianto asks heartbreakingly "Are you going back to him?"

All Jack wanted to do at that moment was hug his wonderful Welshman and never let him go, tell him that every thing would be ok, but he knew he couldn't do that, not now, maybe never again.

Instead Jack looked straight at Ianto and said "I came back for you. All of you." Just as he feels that he may be getting some where with his team the rift alarm goes off, reminding the team this is the time for saving the world, not personal feelings.

"What was that for" Jestine yells across to Tosh who is now looking up the details of the alert.

"Rift activity at NCP,"

"Do we know what it is?"

"Not a clue" This exchange is interrupted by the ring of the phone.

"Hello, Torchwood" Ianto answers then mutters, yes and nos and ends with we will be right there, and then before Jack has another chance to try and get through to his team, they are packing up their gear and heading off to the next crisis.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

As the team drove to the scene, Jack could feel the team more at ease with him.

Thinking this was the perfect opportunity to find out more about the new recruit he broached the subject.

"So how long have you been apart of the team"

"Just under two months, and before you ask, the team did everything they could to continue as they were, and were waiting for you, but they needed another person, if I hadn't been hired, I don't think the team would have been here for you to return too."

And with that the conservation was over, leaving Jack once again frustrated at his lack of knowledge about the newest recruit.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Watching his team jump out the SUV and start to work, he couldn't help but wonder if he made the right choice, maybe everyone would have been better off if he had stayed with The Doctor, the team certainly didn't need him.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Tosh explaining where the rift activity was found on the man that had been discovered on the street.

"He was grabbed…and pushed" Jack concluded.

"Explains the residual energy cluster."

"How did you ever mange without me?" Jack wishing that maybe they hadn't done as well without him and then maybe they would be more willing to accept him.

"So, there's a potential killer on the loose - bi-pedal, maybe humanoid" Owen, always the optimistic.

"Any other alien tech involved Tosh?" Gwen trying to get useful information.

"No readings to suggest that"

"Okay, let's get back and see what we can piece together" Jack wanting to take charge of his team once again, but Gwen wasn't letting him get away with it that easy.

"Taking charge again are you?" Jack just saw a too perfect chance to ease his way back into team,

"I was hoping for a little power struggle, resolved by some naked wrestling." All he got as a response was an eye roll from Ianto and Gwen walking away, making Jack finally feel like he was back.

As they were heading back to the SUV Jack's wristband started to beep.

Turning it off quickly Jack hopes no one notices, but as always Ianto picked up on everything.

"Whoa, that never goes off."

Jack knew it was never a good sign when his vortex manipulator went off, but decided to bluff his way out.

"That's what I was thinking" as every one gathered around him, looking to see what was happening.

Pressing his wrist strap Jack is shocked to see a 3D hologram of John Hart, the rest of his team shocked at the image its self, all expect Jestine who just swore at the image. Jack just stood in disbelief as John talked. This was very, very bad for him.

Making up his mind Jack tells his team."Stay here. Don't come after me." And with that he leaves, his teams protest deafen by the roar of the SUV.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

As Jack drives away his team stands there, Owen pissed at his sudden departure, "You see that? He swans back in and then he shuts us right out." As Owen is snipping at Jack once again, Tosh is starting to track Jack and Ianto is hailing a taxi.

Speeding along to the bar that John was at, the team discussed the recent events that had resulted in their captain running off once again.

"Do you know what was with the hologram?" Tosh questions Jestine, having noticed her reaction.

As all eyes turns to her, Jestine averts her eyes having hoped that no one had heard her, but knowing it was too late now.

"Um, don't really know much, just that when things do stuff they don't normally do it's a bad sign." She muttered unconvincingly.

"Anyone know who that guy might be?" She defuses the attention from her.

"Looked like Jack recognized him" Ianto murmurs, bewildered by the sudden departure of the man he loved.

"Why didn't he let us go with him?" Tosh being just as bewildered as Ianto.

Gwen was once again not happy with Jack leaving. "Cause it's typical Jack, isn't it? Disappears, he comes back, then he runs away again. Shuts us out. We don't even know his real name."

"Or which time he comes from." Tosh adds.

"Exactly. He's supposed to be our boss, we know nothing about him. It drives me crazy!" Gwen adds, while Jestine spends the whole conservation avoiding looking at any of them.

This leaves them all quiet until Ianto pipes up with "It is more fun when he's around, though." Something no one in the team can argue with, not even Jestine.

**So that chapter two done, hope you liked it, please tell me what you thought, every review encourages me to write more**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok, chapter three is done, did actually manage to get it done today, although took longer than I thought, Jestine and John decided they didn't like what I had planned and completely changed this chapter on me, so I have had to reassess the whole story, thankfully it doesn't change it too much overall, just more information sooner, so an improvement I think. I don't have any understanding of time and space so there is a very good chance the stuff I have said is complete shit, but as it is a Torchwood story, I'm going to be claiming its sc-fi so anything can happen. I do apologies for Jack's behavior in the first paragraph, I will admit it is a little OTT, but it was the best way I could get it to work.**

**This chapter has got a higher rating as there is swearing, but nothing too bad, there is implied violence and sexual content, if you look hard, but nothing too bad. I have already started on the next chapter and have started holidays so the next chapter should be up in a few days.**

**Disclaimer: Still haven't gotten the rights to Torchwood, should be coming in the mail any day now, but until then it still belongs to BBC and RTD, but any characters or places that haven't been seen on tv are mine and are for hire.**

**Hope you like this chapter, please read and review**

Upon arriving at the bar, the team spread out between the front and back entrance, hoping to find and control whoever it was that had made Jack leave them so suddenly.

As they entered the room, they saw Jack sitting at the bar, drinking from a bottle, along with the man from the hologram.

"Everything all right, Jack?" Gwen asks as she and the rest of the team move in, guns raised.

"You've got a team! How sweet! Oh, pretty little friends! No blonde, though. You need a blonde." John exclaims, until he see Jestine.

"Roxanne, what you doing here, you're not apart of the team are you?" he questions Jestine, while looking at her with immense suspicion.

"Who the fuck is Roxanne?" Owen hassles.

"Oh, you not going by that name anymore are you," John smirks, "What name is it now, let me guess, you aren't using Blair again are you, I've told you a thousand times that Blair doesn't suit you."

"No, I'm using Jestine this time, now drop it, before you say something you shouldn't" Jestine demands.

The rest of the team looks on in confusion, how can the two know each other and why was she using different names.

"What is going on," Jack snarls, "Why are you using different names and how do you know each other," now flushed with anger.

"Jack it's not important how we know each other, we just need to get him out of here." Jestine replies, staring John down."

"Tell me now or I will shot you" Jack threatens as he points his gun at Jestine's forehead.

At this movement, the whole teams pull out their guns and automatically aim for Jack.

"Stop it now Jack." Gwen yells as the team watches, unsure what to do.

"Slowly put the gun down Jack, and then we can all talk." Gwen now going into policewoman mode.

But Jack just ignored her and continues to stare at Jestine. "Tell me now" he repeats.

"Jack, you have to listen to me, I'm not here to hurt you or your team, if you just ask me, I can tell you some things, but there are things you can't know, there are things that must happen." Jestine soothes, walking towards Jack till suddenly she grabs his gun and disarms it.

"Just tell me what you want to know, and I will answer it as well as I can." She offers, hoping that he will accept what she can tell him.

"How do you know John, where are you from and what do you want?" Jack asks still not trusting her.

"I meet John in the year 5282, we were on planet Riverter, I'm not from this time but that is all I can tell you, and I need to be apart of your team," Jestine answers, never moving her eyes from Jack's.

"Now is the most important time in Torchwoods history and I need to be apart of it."

The whole room just stares at her, processing the information.

"How did you meet John in the year 5282" Jack finally questions back. "I had access to means of teleportation" She answers wearily, wondering just how much Jack would let her not answer.

"What means?" He once again demands.

"I can't explain it to you, you wouldn't believe and I really don't think it's a good idea for you to know"

"Tell me anyway" he barks, frustrated at her deflections.

"I, I just can't ok, even if you do understand, it's too much information, you can't know about it." She replies.

"No, I'm the one decides what you do or don't tell me" Jack yells, dangerous, even without a weapon.

"Fine, but don't shot me if it messes up the universe." Jestine concedes. "I, I can travel through time and space, of my own accord, I don't need any devices, I just can, if I concentrate on a certain time, I can go there, any time, anywhere." She whispers, hoping maybe he would prove her wrong and understand without it causing any paradoxes.

"That's not possible, you can't just imagine a time and be there" he snarls at her.

At this moment she realizes there is going to be no easy way out, she was just going to have to explain everything, well almost everything, some things they just could not know, under any circumstances.

"Ok, I understand that you don't believe me, just let me explain, and then you might."

"The reason why people can't travel through time and space on their own is because they belong to a certain time and space, so they can't move outside of this barrier, you can only move with it."

"But I was born outside of time and space, there is nothing to stop me from travelling at any point I want." She finishes out of breath, having said everything with out breathing, hoping to get it over and done with as quick as possible.

No one spoke after this statement, each trying to wrap their mind around the information.

"How is that possible?" Tosh's interest caught.

"I was born aboard the TARDIS as it was travelling through a wormhole, so I wasn't actually born in a time and space, therefore I have no time or space, so nothing to travel against, therefore can travel any direction or speed I want in comparison to time." Jestine answered hoping that now they would understand and not ask anything more.

"I don't believe you" Jack breaks the silence.

"If that you were able to travel through time and space at your own free will, The Doctor would have stopped you by now, he would never let something so dangerous occur."

"It is true, there is nothing dangerous about it, I know what I am doing, The Doctor fully supports me doing what I need to do, he would never stop me, he trusts me and would never just leave me," her words filled with pain and spite.

"Why would he let you, he would never let it happen, he believes space travel is the domain of Time Lords alone, he wouldn't let some human act like a Time Lord, if you are even human." He scowls back.

"I know, The Doctor wasn't happy to begin with, he tried everything to stop me doing it, but he realized it was apart of who I am and that he couldn't stop me, so he helped me, helped me understand time travel, what I could and couldn't do, he also taught me to help where I could, but that some things can't be stopped, no matter how much either of us want it to be stopped."

At this she looks away, her eyes misted over, thinking of something she wished so much that could be undone, but knows nothing can change about it, what happened, had to happen.

"Then why has The Doctor never told me about you, if you are so close to him" Jack sneers. "Your Doctor doesn't know me Jack, my Doctor is after yours."

**Ok chapter three is over, I hope the information in this made sense, even if its not true or real, any questions just ask, and please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, chapter now done, not sure if I ended it in the right spot, but thought stop it now so at least I can update the story, thank you to those reading this, although would love if you could share your thoughts on this, cause reviews are really nice to get, also I really would like to know where I can improve, next chapter will probably be up in a few days, this chapter again is a higher rating than the first two as there is some swearing but not much, hope you are enjoying this story, feel free to let me know**

**Disclaimer: Still haven't found the rights to Torchwood in my cereal, maybe they will be in the next box, till then they belong to RTD and BBC**

"What do you mean your doctor is after his doctor?" Tosh asks, unable to understand if they were talking about the same person or not.

"The Doctor, is a Time Lord, the last of his race." Jestine pauses, unsure how to explain The Doctor to someone who had never met him.

"The Time Lords have the ability to regenerate, this causes them to be able to live for such a long time, sometimes he believes too long," she adds sadly.

"The thing is, the regeneration is at a cost, every time they regenerate, they change physical appearance, so even though he is the same person, he still feels like he has died, he isn't the same person, not really."

She finishes hoping that was enough information to calm Jack, but not too much that would give her away.

Jack ponders her information for a few moments, before turning to John.

"What are you doing here?" finishing the integration for now.

"What no introduction to the rest of your team?" John asks, now eyeing Ianto up and down, in a fashion not too dissimilar to Jack.

"Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper, meet ..."

"Captain John Hart" John says while leering at Ianto.

"We go back" Jack mutters.

"Excuse me. We more than go back. We were partners." John adds, insulted.

"In what way?" Ianto asks with more than a hint of jealously.

"In every way. And then some." John grins.

"It was two weeks." Jack clarifies.

"Except that two weeks was trapped in a time loop, so we were together for five years. It was like having a wife..." John moans before being cut off by Jack.

"You were the wife." "YOU were the wife" "No, you were the wife," they argue between themselves.

"Shut the fuck up, no one cares who the fucking wife was, can we just get this over and done with" Jestine yells over the top of the two arguing men.

"What are you here for John" she says turning to him."

"Fine, I was getting to it, just relax, don't need a repeat of last time." He mutters as he fiddles with his wrist strap.

"That's the same as Jacks" Tosh exclaims.

"A little smaller" Jack smirks.

Rolling his eyes, John returns with "But last much longer. Get two Time Agents in the same room together, it's always about the size of the wrist strap."

"Ah, yes, sorry? What's a Time Agent?" Owen asks, as he, Ianto and Gwen look confused.

"What? He's never told you about his past?" John seems surprised.

"No, he hasn't" Gwen confirms.

"Now is not the time." Jestine interjects, "Just tell us why you are here and then leave."

At this point John turns back to his wristband and presses some buttons, causing it to come up with holographic image of a canister.

As John explains about the canister, Jestine looks sceptical, Jack looks annoyed, and the others just look confused then worried as they realize what lies in front of them.

"So you came all this way, to clean up some canisters?" Jack queries, not believing a word from John's mouth.

"Dying women's wish" John tries but fails to win Jack and Jestine over.

"Now, there's only one problem: I don't know where they are. Hoping local knowledge might help" John continues ignoring both Jack and Jestine.

"When we get back to the Hub, I can run a citywide scan on the radiation surges and cross-reference that with the rift activity during that time span" Tosh suggest.

"What are you, the brains and the beauty?" John leers, causing Tosh to blush. "You see, together it's an easy job"

At this Jack turns to John and stares him down, "We do this, you get out of here when it's finished. Right away."

Johns seems totally unaffected by this, replying only with "Does this mean I get to see you house?"

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The ride back to the Hub is filled with tension, Jack throwing glares between John and Jestine, Jestine throwing glares at John, John exclaiming at all the "sights" of the 21st century, and the others just confused about all that had happen so far.

As they got out of the SUV, Jack led John away from the rest, leading him to the lift entrance.

"You live in a sculpture? Could you be anymore pretentious? John says. Jack just ignores the comment and orders John to get on the concrete slab.

Looking around John notices the rest of the team missing, "So your team not allowed in this way?" as he steps on the block.

"This is the entrance for tourists." Jack states.

"I remember the last time you said that." John leers as the block starts to descent.

"Where the hell are we…" John questions as Jack merely smiles and shakes his head.

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The team all look up as they hear the lift moving down.

As Jack and John come into view everyone except Jestine moves closer to see how John responses to the Hub.

"Its roomy, I'll give you that." "Your taste in interior design hasn't got any better, though. What is this, sewer chic?" John chatters as the lift descends, the team waiting for them, Gwen with scanner, Ianto with a silver platter and Owen with a gun, ready for anything John may do.

Jack steps off the lift as it stops, turning to face John and stopping him from getting off. "Weapons" Jack demands.

John reluctantly hands over his two guns and sword, which Jack places on the silver platter in Ianto's hands.

"And the rest" Jack orders when it becomes clear that John isn't handing over anymore.

"Oh, you know me. I'm a two weapon guy." John bluffs.

Gwen starts the scanner, "One pistol strapped to each leg, laser knife beneath left elbow, 17 small explosive charges in the lining of his coat..." Gwen continues to read as John hands over the weapons.

"Slipped my mind" John tries.

"I want all of Jestine's weapons too." Jack adds once John has handed over all his.

"What, you can't, she is apart of the team." Gwen gasps.

"She is not apart of this team till I say so." Jack orders as he grabs the scanner from Gwen and heads over to Jestine.

"Whatever" Jestine mutters as she hands over her weapons.

"No don't do that Jestine, you don't have to, you are apart of the team too." Gwen snaps, storming up to Jack and attempts to grab the platter with Jestine's weapons.

"Don't worry about it Gwen, if this is what it is going to take to get him to accept me on the team then I have to just let him do it." Jestine soothes.

"You shouldn't let him do this," Owen snarls, "You have been more useful to the team in the last three months than he has been."

"Don't say that Owen, Jack had to go, don't make him feel bad about it, the world owes him so much because of the sacrifices he has made and will continue to have to make for the rest of his existence." Jestine yells, tears welling up in her eyes, storming out of the room. 

This emotional outburst shocks everyone, not in the whole time she had been there had any of the team seen any outward showing of emotions.

"Anyone for coffee" Ianto breaking the silence and bringing everyone back to the present. Everyone nods and move on to their individual task, while Jack follows Ianto with his eyes, thinking just how much he loves that man, but not knowing if he could ever say it out loud.

**Thanks for reading, please tell me what you thought, the "sights" that John is seeing is basically just people and dogs and stuff that he is checking out, anyway have fun**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five is now done, longer than the last chapters as the characters wouldn't let me finished. I have changed this part quite significantly, largely to fit in with my story, but also as I couldn't stand Gwen in this part. I always thought it should have been Ianto that Jack was talking to, not Gwen; I also didn't like how she was bossing everyone around. I'm not sure I'm happy with the bit about Jack and Ianto, I had never planned to write it like that, but they kinda of just took over. There is some swearing and sexual content (although not much and not specific), so it is still a reasonable rating, although I think probably chapter six or seven will be M, for when Jack and Ianto really make up. Hope you are enjoying it so far, and once again to everyone read, reviewing, alerting and favouring, you encourage me to keep writing.**

**Disclaimer: Unless I'm getting the rights to Torchwood for Easter (Which I doubt) then they will remain the property of RTD and BBC, not that they deserve them.**

**Happy Easter everyone**

Once handing out coffee to everyone but Jestine, Ianto headed down to the archives with two mugs, aware there was a good chance of finding her there.

He didn't know why but the girl seemed to have some strange fascination with the archives. She wasn't like him, needing to know what everything did; it was like she found some kind of peace amongst the alien artefacts. Although going by the information she had just revealed, Ianto guessed it must be almost like being with friends for her.

Walking trough the aisle Ianto found her in the D section, looking through the files on The Doctor. He wondered if she missed him. It has sounded like she was close to him, so the last few months away from him must be hard on her.

Although Ianto then realize she could move through time and space, so she could have easily meet The Doctor and then jump back to where she had left and they would have been none the wiser.

Ianto was just thinking about how it would be to be able to jump through time and space at one's leisure, when Jestine looked up at him, her icy blue eyes rimmed with red, the only evidence that she had been crying. Pushing his thoughts away he offered her the coffee and sat on one of the many chairs littered around the place.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

As he was drinking Ianto sat watching Jestine.

He realize just how old she looked, she had this weariness to her, that no nineteen year old should possibly posses. This caused him to wonder, just what had she seen and done in her time before Torchwood, and why when she could be in any point and place would she choose here.

"Jestine, what did you mean now is the most important time in Torchwood's history?" he asks, remembering her telling them so earlier in the evening.

"I wish I could tell you, I just I can't, so much is about to happen and there isn't anything I can do to stop it." She whispers, her voice hoarse.

Silence once more engulfed them as they sat there drinking their coffee, each lost in thought.

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"So what did John mean about relax, we don't want a repeat of last time?" Ianto asks, breaking the silence.

At this question Jestine looks up and laughs. "God that was a fucked up time."

"Really, what happened?" Ianto now curious.

"It was a while ago, at least in my time line, and god, I was such a brat at the time. I had a fight with The Doctor. He was annoyed at me for fucking the royal prince of Gutamily, he happens to be good friends with the prince's husband, so he was really pissed at that. So me and him had this massive screaming match and I just decided I had enough of him and left."

She pauses, letting the memory wash over her.

"Riverter is known for its wild ways, basically its like a club, Friday night, when everyone is off their face, expect its like that every moment, perfect for taking your mind off your problems."

"So I was having a great time, pretty much just being like any other kid. One night I was chatting up this really hot girl from Nervouson, trust me, you haven't lived until you've had sex with a Nervousan, they are just so amazing..." Jestine trails off, letting the memory distract her, until Ianto politely coughs to get her attention back to the story.

"Right sorry about that, anyways so I'm chatting her up and its going well, until this guy comes up and wants to know what am I doing."

"So I tell him that I'm talking to her. Then he just starts yelling at me, saying she belongs to him and that I should just go. It's like she was happy to be talking to me, so I tell him so."

"Then he threatens me and is all like if you don't go now I will kill you. Next thing he knows, I've punched him straight in his third eye."

"So this of course starts a massive bar fight and I'm in the middle of it throwing punches everywhere. It was great fun, until the police came, was thrown in jail."

"Turns out the guy that I punched was some high ranking politician and I was hitting on his wife. Look how was I meant to know, she was purple."

At this Ianto stares at her.

"With the Nervousan's, they change colour to signify their availability, purple means they are single and looking for some action. So I had no idea she was taken, and she was more than willing to have me chat her up, she actually approached me to began with."

"So I ended up in jail, so totally pissed, so spent five hours just yelling and swearing as loud as I could, god I must have been annoying, no wonder my cell mate turned to me and told me to shut up before he made me."

"That was John Hart."

"At this point I still hadn't calmed down, so I just started punching him, he got a few punches in himself too, before the guards came and broke us up."

"By this point The Doctor had heard about what I had gotten up too, so had come to bail me out."

"Fuck, I got the worse lecture from him ever when we got back to the TARDIS, I swear even she was shivering in fear."

"She?"

"The TARDIS, the ship is definitely a she." Jestine finishes talking and just stares out at nothing, reliving moments like that.

"You know, that wasn't the last time me and John ran into each other, we became drinking buddies for a while there, he really knows how to have a good time." Jestine pauses for a second. "And then stuff happened and it just wasn't the same."

"What happened?" Ianto asks.

Jestine sighs. "So so much stuff. Everything changed and it just wasn't the same the next time I ran into him."

"What happened then?" Ianto encourages her to continue.

"I got into some pretty bad stuff and he left me." Jestine replies sadly before picking up their empty cups and walks back to the main area of the hub, leaving Ianto stunned over all that he had heard.

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Later when Ianto brings him a coffee, Jack asks him to stay.

Sitting on Jack's desk, Ianto still wasn't sure if he was ready to forgive Jack yet for just leaving them without warning.

"Ianto, I just want to tell you how much I missed you." Jack looks at him, his icy blue eyes seeming to be looking into his very soul.

Ianto stares deeply back, noticing for the first time the pain and fear in Jack's eyes. "Oh Jack, I missed you too." Ianto replies, caressing Jack's cheek, barely able to keep tears from falling.

"You have no idea what He did to me; you were the only thing that kept me going." Jack whispers, tears flowing down his face.

Ianto wipes them away, never breaking eye contact from his lover.

"Jack, if you ever need to talk, you know I'm here for you, don't you." He whispers back, trying so hard to be strong for his Captain.

"Thank you Ianto, for everything." Jack barely whispers, but Ianto caught every word and meaning.

"Oh Cariad, what did they do to you" Ianto is no longer able to contain his own tears, the pain of the man he loved hurting him too.

"Cariad?" Jack quires, as Ianto never have said it to him before.

"It's Welsh for lover, sweetheart." Ianto murmurs as his lips brush Jack's.

"Mmm I think I like it." Jack whispers as he leans in closing the gap between him and Ianto.

"I think I like it a lot." He moans into Ianto's mouth.

Closing his eyes, Jack lets himself get lost in the flavour of the man who he had been craving for so long.

Just as he was completely losing himself in the moment, he heard a loud cough. Looking up Jack sees Jestine.

"What you want?" he demands, not moving from his proximity to Ianto.

"Once you two are done, Tosh has information on the canisters and wants to tell the team." With that she leaves.

"We probably should get going." Ianto speaks without moving.

"But I like where I am now." Jack pouts, no where near ready to move from the wonderful man in front of him.

"If we go now, I promise we can continue this later." Ianto persuades Jack.

Reluctantly Jack follows Ianto down to the boardroom.

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As they were walking down to the boardroom Ianto couldn't help but wonder what had just happened at Jack's office.

He knew all along that he was going to forgive Jack, but he has promised himself he wouldn't let Jack get away with it that easily, yet there he had been, kissing Jack, comforting him and calling him Cariad.

Remembering this bit Ianto smiles, he had expect for a moment after he had said that, that Jack would pull away, would yell at him for calling him that, or something, anything other than tell him that he liked it.

This confused Ianto so much, Jack had never been one for displays of love; sure he loved pubic displays of lust and such, but nothing like pet names.

This thought made Ianto's heart swell, Jack had not only let him call him Cariad, but he actually like it.

When Jack made to grab his hand, Ianto did not pull away, just squeezed Jack's hand, comfortable enough for the whole world to know, this was the man that he loved, and he didn't care what anyone else thought.

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"Ok, I've been told that you have information." Jack tells Tosh as he and Ianto enter the room, still hand in hand.

Ianto only lets go once the have moved to their spots at the table, grabbing hold again once they were seated. Jack was surprised at Ianto's lack of shyness about the others seeing and was enjoying it immensely.

"Tell me what you have found" Jack asks as he automatically grabs the cup in front of him.

Letting out the shout of surprise Jack interrupts Tosh, as the first sip of coffee falls on his taste buds.

"Something wrong?" Jestine questions from the other side of the room.

"No, just the coffees good, too good to be anyone's but Ianto's and it's not his." Jack looks around the room confused, no one could make coffee like Ianto, could they.

"Oh yeah, that would be me." Jestine answers.

"Seems Ianto isn't the only one who can make awesome coffee." She smirks with just a little too much pleasure to have Jack be so impressed by her coffee.

"How, no one makes coffee like Ianto" Jack looks bewildered at the thought anyone could make coffee even half as good as Ianto, as Ianto looks pleased with himself.

"Well its not like Ianto's, his is definitely better, but yeah it's better than most, now I think that Tosh has some important information for us." Jestine changes the topic back to more important subjects.

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"Seven hours ago we logged a minor surge in rift energy, across three locations." Tosh starts now that the whole room's attention is back on her.

"Ok, so how are we going to this then, with seven of us, assuming Jack is ok with me and John being involved?" Jestine asks, looking at Jack for an answer.

Jack looks around the room, unsure what to do.

Turning to Ianto he sees him nod and feels him squeeze his hand underneath the table.

Knowing that Ianto trusted her was enough to convince Jack to at least give Jestine a chance.

"Ok, fine, Jestine and John can help us find the canister, but neither are allowed any weapons." Both nod their heads at this, although John seems reluctant to be going without his weapons.

"Tosh and Owen you take the north, Gwen and Jestine take the docks and Ianto, John and I will take the west." Jack orders.

Ianto leans over and whispers in Jack's ear. As Ianto speaks Jack appears to start to argue, until Ianto continues.

Finally the pair seem to have finished and the rest of the team looks on.

"You two done whispering sweet nothings and going to let us get on with our jobs." Owen snipes.

"Actually, Ianto was suggesting a change to those groups and after some persuasion I agree." Jack retorts back.

"New groups are Tosh and Owen north, Gwen and John the docks, and Jestine, Ianto and I will be taking the west."

"Owen and Tosh, can you get going now, I just need to talk to Gwen for a moment."

As everyone leaves the room Gwen watches Jack nervously, wondering what he could want.

"First I believe congratulations are in order," Jack smiles at Gwen, happy that at least someone in Torchwood had someone.

"Ianto told me." He grins at Gwen's confused face.

"I am really happy for you, you deserve some one and I think Rhys is a really lucky guy to have you." Jack smiles at Gwen once more.

Then Jack slips into Captain mode, "Now on to business, Ianto thought you could be good to get John talking about why he is really here, but you have to be careful around him, there are ground rules." Gwen nods waiting for Jack to continue.

"Three rules: One - don't believe anything he says. Two - always keep him in front of you. And three - under no circumstances let him kiss you."

Gwen looks disgusted at this suggestion, but before she can say anything John interrupts.

"Has he gone to the no-kissing rule yet? He only invented that because he wants me all to himself." John smirks. Jack just rolls his eyes and Gwen moves to leave, gesturing for John to go in front of her.

**Hope you enjoyed reading it, please feel free to tell me what you thought, the next chapter will be up soon, and hopefully the last one on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, have fun.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok, so this was meant to be the last chapter on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but the team had other ideas, this chapter is just what the team are talking about on the way to the locations of the canisters, I will try and get the story moving along after this and have more information about Jestine revealed, although I will warn you, there will be some stuff that I will defiantly not be revealing until after COE in the story, at the moment it looks like the story will end after COE but there will be a sequel, just curious, does anyone want that to be a fix-it or how the team deals with the aftermath, let me know what you think, as either way will work with what I have in mind, although there will of course be differences. Just a warning, there is some Gwen bashing at the end, I will try and minimise how much there is overall in the story, as I do understand some people do like her, I won't be having her flirting with Jack so that will probably minimise how much I feel she needs to be insulted. Anyway thanks for reading, please review, hope everyone had a good Easter**

**Disclaimer: All I got for Easter was yummy chocolate, so the rights to Torchwood still remain the property of BBC and RTD**

The team had their equipment ready in minutes and were racing to the locations, hoping to have the canisters contained before it was too late.

Looking in the rear view mirror, Jack watched Jestine. She was a puzzle to him, she seemed familiar but he was certain that he has never seen her before. Watching her sitting there, listening to music and staring off at nothing, she seemed like someone he had once known. "Have we met before?" He asks, certain of their paths having crossed before.

"No, well not really, I've kinda met you in your future, but only when I was really little." She continues looking out the window, giving no indication to her thoughts.

"You sure, you look familiar?" Jack getting more and more sure that something about this girl was known to him.

"Nah, just have one of those faces I guess." She shrugs, willing the conservation to end. Jack looks at her through the mirror, noticing her high cheek bones, soft full lips and sparkling blue eyes, ringed with grey, no she definitely did not have one of those faces, not many had the quite beauty that shone from her, it was something that reminded him of…

"Your parents, they were from the 51st century weren't they?" suddenly realizing what the smell that had been hanging around since his return was, it was 51st century pheromones, and they weren't John's.

"I, um, well, um.." she stutters, unsure how much she can really tell him.

Thankfully at this moment Ianto interrupts, "Jack we're here." Thus distracting Jack from the conservation and letting Jestine breath once more.

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"So what floor are we looking at" Jestine quires as they move to the building that the monitor indicated to be where the canister had landed.

"Two hundred feet above ground" the reply came, "So top two floors or roof."

"Ok, I'll look at the second top floor and you two can handle the roof and top floor." Jestine suggest as she bounds up the stairs to the second top floor.

"Hey, I give the orders around here." Jack yells pointlessly after her.

"Don't worry about it Jack, she's better on her own anyway." Ianto turns to look at Jack, "and we are taking the lift, I am not running all the way up the stairs." With this Ianto grabs his hand and leads a smirking Jack to the elevator.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Do you think Jack is ever going to trust Jestine?" Tosh turns questioning to Owen.

"I really don't know Tosh, she hasn't given him or us it seems, much reason to." Owen replies sadly as he changes lanes.

"That's the thing I don't get, I checked all her information, it all checked out, I even checked her facebook and her friends seemed to know who she was, it seems too complex to have faked."

Tosh mused, if there was one thing she hated, it was when someone seemed to have a better understanding of technology than she did, and that was the only way to explain how Jestine had managed to cover her tracks so well.

"There wasn't any evidence of any tempering or anything, how could she cover all that up so well, I checked everything, not a single thing was wrong."

Tosh couldn't help but blame herself, if Jestine was a fake she should have been able to have found something.

Owen tried comforting her, "Don't beat yourself about it too much, she obviously knew what she was doing."

"Yeah, but why go to so much trouble, why not just tell us."

"Would you have believed her if she had, and if we had, what do you think we would have done, certainly not have welcomed her in."

"I guess you are right, it's just I thought we were getting really close, she almost seems like she has always been apart of the team, but now I don't even know her real name." Tosh sighs.

"I'm sure there is a reason for it all Tosh, when we have done this we can all talk to her about it, ok, but we need to focus on this, I think the sooner we get John out of here the better, he seems like nothing but trouble." Owen answers as they pull up to their destination.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"How do you know her?" Gwen asks John as they hurtle along to the location.

"What she didn't tell you." John exclaims, insulted.

"I was like her best friend, well at least when she was running away from that Doctor of hers, don't know why she kept going back to him, they were always fighting, he seemed to be a bit fridgt, never liked her shagging the people they met. "

John rambles on.

"So how did you two meet then?" Gwen dug around for dirt on both John and Jestine.

"Ah, yes, Jestine and I," John smirks before continuing.

"I was on the planet Riverter, wonderful planet, all the drugs and sex..." John gets lost in the thought of the planet until Gwen punches him to gain his attention.

"Hey, what was that for," John glares before continuing, "so on Riverter, having a wonderful time, meet a pair of siblings from Noxtifalor, wow, they really know how to have a good time, they were doing this amazing thing where.."

Gwen cuts him off before he can share anymore about the siblings "amazing thing."

"Ok, ok, such a prune," John pouts. "Yeah so had just finished with the siblings and had gone to a bar to refuel."

"Turned out I didn't quite have enough money for the tab I had started."

"So?"

"Well tried to get out of there, unfortunately the guy called the police and caught me before I got two streets away." John grumbled.

"So got stuck in prison, with this fucking annoying girl, who just spent five hours yelling and swearing, so I told her to shut the fuck up and she punched me."

"What's that got to do with Jestine?" Gwen ask, confused by John's story.

"Really you don't understand." John looks perplex at Gwen's stupidity.

"Wow, Jack really has lowered his standards; Jestine was the girl in the cell."

Gwen looks surprised at this revolution "Really you met in jail?"

"Yeah, fucking annoying she was then, although the next few times she was better." John answers.

"You met more than once?" "Yeah, a couple times around the place, she does make one hell of a drinking buddy, never met someone who can hold their liquor so well." John states.

"You sounded like you were close, what happened?" Gwen asks as she parks at their location.

"She left, she left me and she left her Doctor." John replies, getting out the car and slamming the door, signifying he was done talking.

**Hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you thought, the next chapter will probably take a few days as I am trying to work on some projects that are due back once I start back at uni, have fun**


	7. Chapter 7

**Whoa, this chapter is finally done and so is the bit on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, it is extra long, cause I just wanted to get this out of the way, so did not plan for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang to take seven chapters to get through. The next few chapters won't be based on any episode, just on how the team spends the hours they have to avoid themselves, I was really disappointed when they didn't show us that during the show, so I will do what I think should have happen, at least in my world. This chapter is rated M, for the start, cause it is Jack and Ianto in a elevator. I will apologise in advance, I do use both lift and elevator in this as I have no idea what they would use in Cardiff. I have added and changed bits, especially a lot of Gwen's bits as I really didn't like the way they had her acting, like she thought she was about to die, and did she want them to tell her fiancée that she loved him, no, she wanted them to tell her boss that she loved him, so that so did not happen in my story. There is also more of a hint of Towen, as I think it was just mean what the writers did with Tosh and Owen. Please read and review, thank you to those who have or have alerted or added to favourites, you make my day.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Torchwood, it still belongs to BBC and RTD, not that they deserve it.**

Ianto could feel Jack's hot breath on the back of his neck as the doors of the elevator closed.

"I've missed you so much Ianto" whispers Jack, turning Ianto around so he can see his face.

"I've missed you so much" Jack whispers he pulls Ianto into a deep passionate kiss.

Ianto moans as Jack pushes him against the wall, Jack's hands exploring his body as his tongue slips into Ianto's mouth.

Ianto feels Jack opening his shirt, licking the exposed skin, teasing his right nipple with his tongue, while tweaking his left with his hand until both were rock hard and he could think of nothing but his lover's touch.

Ianto moaned as Jack licked his way down Ianto's chest, dipping his tongue in Ianto's belly button.

His breath was short and heated by time Jack had reached his groin. Jack smirked as he could see the large bulge tenting Ianto's trousers, lightly fingering it through the material, causing Ianto to uncontrollably buckle his hips towards the contact, moaning deeply.

Just as Jack was starting to unbuckle Ianto's pants the lift stops and the doors open.

"I think that you want the next level," Jestine smirks. Ianto blushes furiously as Jack just laughs against Ianto's groin, causing him to shiver with pleasure.

Jestine waves as the door closes and they begin to rise again.

"Jack, we should concen..urgh" Jack interrupts Ianto's sentence by deep throating him in one go.

The three months away from Jack was too much for Ianto and Jack had him thrusting erratically within seconds.

Jack had missed the unique taste that was Ianto. Neither cared this time when the lift binged open, too caught up with each other.

Within minutes Jack could feel Ianto reaching his climax, as Ianto's cock swelled, Jack starts playing with Ianto's balls, squeezing them, causing him to cry out Jack's name as he came.

Just hearing his lover lose control was enough to push Jack to his own release.

Ianto pulled his lover up and meet him in a ferocious kiss, both pushing every emotion they had into it.

Breaking only when air was needed the two lovers rested against each other, oblivious to the world. Only once they had both caught their breath did Jack bend down and lovingly pick up Ianto's boxers and pants, kissing his groin once everything was tucked away once more.

Ianto had used this time to compose himself once more, effectively slipping to the professional role once more.

"Right ready for work?" Jack asks as he straightens up his own clothes and hair. And with that they both stepped out of the lift ready for work.

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Jestine had looked up from the desk she was searching when she had heard the elevator open. She couldn't help but smirk when she saw Ianto pressed up against the wall breathless while Jack looked like he was about to unbuckle Ianto's pants.

It came as no surprise to her that Ianto and Jack were going at it in the lift, she had heard how hard it was in the Valiant and that the only thing that had kept Jack going was Ianto.

She had also seen first hand how hard the loss of his captain had been on Ianto. She was glad that they had at lest found something to soothe their need for now.

It ached so much to know what was heading for the two lovers and that there was nothing she could do to stop it, she just hoped they would make the most of it.

Shaking herself of those thoughts she turned back to her search, the sooner the canister was found the sooner John would be gone, although she had never realized how much she had missed him till now, maybe one day they would meet back up again, maybe one day she could have some one as a friend, maybe one day she would have earned the right to have someone who cared about her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So why did Jestine leave?" Gwen continues the conversation from the car as they move through the shipping yard.

John looks at her for a second before turning away. "It's not my place to say."

"Please, John. Tell me. I just want to know her better, to be able to help her."

John sighs. "Fine."

"We meet when she was maybe 11 or 12, would run into each other ever few months or something. And then she disappeared for a while. Only a few months for me but it had been about five or so years for her." John explains.

"She was different. Something happened to her while she was gone. She wouldn't tell me what and I never found out but something really bad had happened to her." John looks away sadly.

"She was rough around the edges but she was a good kid, at least till whatever happened to her. She become ruthless. She got messed up in some dark stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Gwen asks curiously.

John shrugs. "I don't know exactly, but the people she was with, could be anything. And that's on top of the cons she was pulling with me."

"Cons?" Gwen asks, she couldn't imagine Jestine pulling any cons, although considering what they had just found out about her, maybe it wasn't so hard to believe.

"Yeah." John grins at the memories. "She was a hell of a con artist."

"But that still doesn't explain why she left." Gwen tries to get John back on track.

"This lasted probably a year or two, she was getting worse and worse. And the whole time she had no contact with The Doctor. Something bad had happened to her during that time but she also had done something really bad, he refused to speak to her."

"But I could see, it was tearing her apart, she wouldn't have survived too much longer had she continued on the path she was on. So I nicked her phone at one stage and rang The Doctor. Made him come and speak to her. Don't know what he said but next thing I know she was saying goodbye and I didn't see her again till now."

"What do you think he said to her?" Gwen asks, thinking it would have to be something incredible to changes someone's life.

"Probably told her to go and find her family, find her herself." John suggests.

"Didn't she know her family?" Gwen asks sadly at the thought of someone not having anyone.

"No, both her parents abandon her in one way or another." John hisses before storming off, leaving Gwen more confused.

Gwen runs to catch up with John, only to find him searching the container as if nothing had happened.

"Nothing," John mutters as he moves onto the next container.

"Are you sure this is the right spot?" he asks, feed up with searching without luck.

"Yeah. But containers get shifted all the time." Gwen replies as she shuts the door.

"This could take days." John moans.

The continue looking through the containers in silence, broken only when Gwen's phone went off. Before she has a chance to say anything Rhys yells "I got it!"

"Sorry?" Gwen asks as she continues to watch John carefully.

"Manager at Harwoods!" Rhys continues to yell in excitement.

"The letter was on the mat! I got the bloody job!" he laughs.

"Oh, my God! Rhys, that is fantastic!" Gwen squeals back, remembering Rhys applying for the job.

"Baby, you're fantastic too. Yeah, just there!" John moans into the phone over Gwen's ear.

"Who's that?" Rhys asks suspiciously.

"It's some idiot I work with, that's all." Gwen answers while glaring at John.

"I don't suppose there's any chance of me seeing you before breakfast?" Rhys practically pleas.

Gwen looks down in guilt of knowing that her work will always come before her personal life.

"It looks like it's gonna be an all-nighter. Go on, get yourself to bed. I am so proud of you. I love you."

"Yeah, well, I love you more." Rhys tries to hide the hurt in his voice.

"Bye" Gwen says before hanging up and putting her phone back in her pocket.

Looking around Gwen tries to find John so they can once more continue with their work. "John?" She turns around looking to where she last saw him. "John?" still no answer. Taking her gun out Gwen inches around the containers in the hope of finding him.

"Worried you'd lost me?" John smirks from behind her, causing her to swing around and point the gun at him.

"Whoa. Little bit jumpy there?" John asks as he holds his hands up in surrender.

"Keep in front of me, okay?" Gwen orders and then continues to search the containers.

"Aha!" John suddenly yells.

"Is that it?" Gwen asks as she leans over John's shoulder to look inside.

Walking in to have a closer look, Gwen forgets that John is behind her. As she is distracted by the canister, John grabs her and slams her against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Gwen yells as she tries to push him off her. She is no match for his strength and struggles as he leans in and kisses her hard. Using his lapse in attention, Gwen pushes hard against him and manages to pull free.

"Get off me!" She yells revolted by what he had does done.

"Celebrating, that's all. God, the 21st Century is so frigid!" John chuckles as Gwen collapses on the floor.

"What have you done?" Gwen pleas.

"Don't get up. I mean, you can't anyway. Paralyzing lip gloss. I think it might have even been Jack taught me that trick. Just one problem, if you're not found in two hours, your major organs will go into shutdown." John laughs as he grabs her phone.

"Thanks" "You gonna be okay in here without me?" John sneers as he walks out and closes the door behind him.

As he begins to walk away John throws Gwen's phone off into the distance, making her untraceable.

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Tosh and Owen walk through the warehouse in silence, each focused on the mission. Tosh tries the lights but is unsurprised when they don't work.

"No bulbs." Tosh yells out to Owen.

"No, 'cause that would only be helpful. Oh, great, how are we gonna find a canister in all this tut?" Owen moans.

Tosh just ignores him and starts the search. "What are we doing with our lives, Tosh?" Owen asks suddenly.

"I know. We should be out having fun!" Tosh replies.

"Once this is done, I will take you to that movie you've been wanting to see, how about that?" Owen asks Tosh as he continues to look.

"It's a date." Tosh smiles as she too gets back to work.

"You beauty!" Owen suddenly yells, dragging a chair to a shelf and grabbing the canister.

"Job done" Owen yells over to Tosh as he moves to climb off the chair.

"Good work team!" John smiles, evil glistering in his eyes.

"Where's Gwen?" Tosh asks as her hand moves towards her gun, but John gets to her before she has a chance to grab it, head butting her and pushing her down on her side.

He pulls his gun on Owen who was still on the chair.

"Ah ah ah! Gun on the floor.." John orders while pointing his at Tosh. "or I shoot her."

Owen has no choice but to place his gun on the ground.

"Jack, where are you?" he asks into the comms.

"I muted the comms system as soon as we left the palace under the pavement. I love my little wrist strap." John smirks at Owen's unsuccessful attempts to call Jack.

"Now ...phones." John orders.

"You touch her again, and I will kill you. Okay?" Owen threatens as he and Tosh slide their phones towards John.

"The efficiency of a gun, or the brutality of wood?" John asks as he picks up a cricket bat from a nearby shelf.

"Yeah, look, stop toying with me and get on with it." Owen snarls. John just smirks and shots Owen, then leaving.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Oh, yeah! Loving that office-y feel! I always get excited in these places. To me, they're exotic. Office romances ... photocopying your butt ...well, maybe not your butt, although as we're here, why don't we ..." Jack laughs as he and Ianto finally leave the lift and go looking for the canister.

Ianto just rolls his eyes and interrupts, "The rift was active at these coordinates approximately two hundred feet above ground. That means this floor, the floor below or the roof. Jestine has the floor below so we have this and the roof."

He starts to look around for the canister while Jack just watches him.

"How are you, Ianto?" Jack asks, still not sure where he stood with Ianto.

"All the better for having you back" Ianto smiles affectionately at his Caption, before turning back to the task at hand.

"I know things have been tough on you Ianto, I want to be here for you. I want something more than we had."

"While I was away, I was thinking… maybe we could you know, when this is all done ... dinner? A movie?" Jack stutters, so nervous at being turned down.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Ianto asks with much uncertainty, still not believing that Jack could want something serious from him.

"Interested?" Jack asks, hoping for the right answer.

"Well ... as long as it's not in an office. Some fetishes should be kept to yourself." Ianto responds, before continuing with the search.

"Looks like we're gonna have to go through every drawer, bin and plant pot. ." Jack says as the quiet of their search gets too much for him.

"Right. Okay. I'll do this floor, don't want you getting overexcited, and you take the roof. You're good on roofs." Ianto suggest.

"Why are we helping him?" Ianto asks just before Jack gets to the door.

"He's a reminder of my past. I want him gone. Jack answers, before turning to Ianto again. "By the way…was that a yes?" Jack asks.

"Yes! Yes" Ianto smiles, so happy for Jack to be back.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine smiles away to herself as she looks, glad of the scene she had witness with Jack and Ianto in the elevator. At least now one member of Jack's team was on his side, hopefully that would encourage the rest.

Her thoughts are interrupted as she hears the elevator go up. She hides herself against a wall, listening to who was there, knowing it shouldn't be one of the team.

The lift passes her level and she lets out a breath, glad that whoever it was had passed her, at least for now.

Knowing that there was a good chance they would be back soon, Jestine hurried her pace, trying to find the elusive canister.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Ianto looks up as he hears the lift open on the floor. Thinking it could be either Jack or Jestine to tell him they had found the canister he walks towards it. As he walks into the corridor that separates the lifts from the office Ianto gets suspicions, had it be one of the team, surely they would have announced their presents by now.

Looking into the two lifts Ianto notices them empty and is about to turn away feels a gun barrel against his head.

"Into the lift, eye candy." John orders as he grabs Ianto's gun. Ianto turns around to look at John.

"Your friends are bleeding and dying." John taunts, stepping forward, forcing Ianto to back into the elevator. "You barely have enough time- to save them."

"Owen? Gwen?" Ianto tries on his comm.

John scoffs at this "What am I, a child? It's primitive bit of technology, easily blocked; you should be embarrassed. And when you get to the bottom, run. You look like a man who enjoys a challenge, see if you can save them. Come back up here, I'll shoot on sight." John leans forward and presses the ground floor button, backing away as the doors shut.

"Why are you doing this?" Ianto asks as he steps forward, stopping the doors. "We're a cosmic joke, eye candy, an accident of chemicals and evolution. The jokes, the sex, just cover the fact that nothing means anything. And the only consolation is ... MONEY. So run, Ianto Jones!" John replies before forcing Ianto back and closing the doors.

All Ianto can do is watch as the doors close, punching the wall in frustration.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine hears the banging sound, realizing that something was up. She races up the stairs to the next floor, only to see it abandon.

Calling up the security footage on her phone, Jestine watches as she sees John enter the building, threatening Ianto with a gun and forcing him into the lift.

She then watches as John makes his way up to the roof, no doubt in search of Jack and the canister.

Jestine quickly makes up her mind and moves silently up the stairs to the roof keeping low and out of sight as she watches the two men.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack is so happy as he searched for the canister, Ianto had said yes to the date. Of course there was little chance of Ianto saying no going by his behaviour with Jack, but Jack had still been the most nervous he had ever been in his life.

Searching the gloom of the roof, Jack catches sight of the canister, triumph in his eyes as he bends down to grab it.

"Rear of the Year." John smirks at the view in front of him, "5094. Still looking good." Jack looks up at John as his phone starts ringing.

"Cute boy, ringing to warn you about me." John smirks again as he grabs Jack's phone and tosses it aside.

Holding out his hand he demands the canister. Jack does not move, threatening only "If you've harmed them in any way ..."

"You know, they're pretty, but stupid. You used to have better taste." John teases.

"Doesn't look like that from here." Jack response back, still not giving John the canister.

"Just give it here." John once again demands.

"Radiation cluster bombs? Really?" Jack looks at John.

"Let's not get hung up on details." John mutters.

"Little embarrassing that you needed help to find them." Jack teases.

"A little humiliating you fell for the scam. Your dolly birds did all my legwork." John retorts back.

"Is that what you wanted?"

"What I want is for you to come to your senses. Join me, Jack. Back in the old routine, we'd be emperors. How can you stay tied to one planet when there's thousands of worlds, sparkling with wonder? We should be up there, among the stars, claiming them for our own. Just like before." John glistens.

"I can't" Jack answers back.

"Why not? What the hell is there to keep you here? Come on. The glitter of the galaxy. The mischief we could make." John exclaims.

"You know, you never really mastered that temptation spiel." Jack replies.

"It's not a spiel. It's fact." John feels insulted.

"Move on. Here I am, in a new life and you're still churning out the same old tunes. And sorry, but they don't play as well, now you're looking a little older. And what are they? Wrinkles around your eyes?" Jack taunts, knowing how vain John always was.

"Laugh lines." John pouts.

"Oh, hell of a good joke." Jack continues to insult John.

"It's you I'm laughing at." John turns menacing, "Canister."

Jack response by tossing it over his shoulder and off the building.

"Whoops." Jack says, void of any sincerity.

John seethes as Jack laughs at him. John suddenly pushes Jack backwards, causing him to fall off the roof.

"Whoops" John declares with glee. Jestine has to stop herself from gasping as she sees John so evilly pushing Jack off the building. Instead she just waited until she was sure that John was gone before going down the stairs to help Jack.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine watches silently as she sees John walk up to Jack. "Rehab ... didn't really work." He smirks as he picks up the canister and removes Jack's wristband.

"Front door key. Thanks" John leans down and kisses Jack on the lips before turning away and walking off.

Jestine waits until he is gone before going to help Jack, knowing this was going to be a particularly painful return, especially if he came back before his spine was fixed.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Ianto hurtles along in the SUV, hoping he manages to get to his team mates in time.

So caught up in thought Ianto almost doesn't hear his phone ring. The ring tone snaps him out of his daze. He looks across and Jestine is lit up on screen.

Shit, forgot about her, he thinks to himself as he grabs the phone, hoping John hadn't gotten her as well.

"Thank God," Jestine yells when Ianto answers. "Where are you, never mind, just makes sure you get to the others fast, I know what John's like, he wouldn't have killed them out right but they will be in pain and will need your help," Jestine pauses for breath, giving time for Ianto to talk.

"Where are you, did he hurt you, where is Jack, is he ok, please tell me John didn't hurt him." Ianto pleas, hating John so much.

"Its ok Ianto, just keep calm, the team needs you, John didn't touch me, I guess he forgot about me.

"I'm here with Jack, I won't lie, its not good at the moment, but he will be fine, he always is, you just concentrate on the others and me and Jack will work something out." Jestine sooths, not wishing Ianto any pain.

"Ok, I will let you know when I get to Tosh and Owen, and then I will go to Gwen." Ianto tries to returns to professional mode.

"Make sure you are there when Jack comes back, he hates coming back alone." Ianto whispers, his eyes misting up.

"Don't worry, I will look after him for you, you just worry about the team, will meet you back at the Hub." And Jestine disconnects the call, leaving Ianto once again lost in his thoughts.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Argh, Jack gasps as he is brought back to life.

Confusion surrounds him as he looks around, he was sure that he had landed on some concrete benches but now he was on the ground.

In Jack's experience it was never good to wake up somewhere different to where you had died.

As he struggles to get up he feels hands on him, he struggles further, fearing it may be John.

"Whoa, calm down, it's just me." Jestine sooths from behind.

Helping him, Jestine moves Jack over to the benches to allow his body to heal properly.

"I've contacted Ianto, last I heard he was at the place Owen and Tosh were checking the canister for and once done there, he was going to find Gwen." Jestine informs him of what had been going out while he was dead.

"None of the others are contactable, so I'm guessing he took their phones, the comms are also down, so I guess we are flying blind." She finishes.

"Why didn't John get you?" He asks suddenly. "I don't know, maybe he forgot about me, or figured I wouldn't matter, I really don't know." Jestine answers sadly.

"Fuck" Jack yells as he realizes that both his vortex manipulator and the canister are gone.

"Sorry, John took them, would have grabbed them but I figured it was better to keep out of the way till he was gone, that way I could help you with a plan." Jestine apologises, well aware of how much Time Agents hated being separated from their Vortex Manipulator.

"So what's the plan then?" Jack asks as his mind and body recovered from death and he was once again ready to save the day. Jestine grins at him as she sees the man she had heard so many stories about.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Tosh! Owen!" Ianto calls out as he gets to the building.

Seeing the building padlocked, Ianto grabs a bolt cutter and makes light work of the lock.

"Tosh! Owen!" he yells out again, praying for a response.

Tosh looks up from helping Owen when she hears a voice. Hearing it again she realizes its Ianto.

"Ianto!" she shouts back. "We're over here" she calls as she stands, hoping it will lead Ianto to them.

Ianto rushes up, still with his gun out. 'What happened?" Ianto asks as he takes in Owen on the ground attempting to bandage a gun shot wound and Tosh looking shaken.

"Where's Gwen? Have you heard from Gwen?" Tosh asks, more concerned about Gwen then herself.

"No" Ianto admits sadly.

"What about Jestine or Jack?" Tosh asks.

"They probably helped him" Owen snarls before Ianto can reply. "Did you see the way they both looked at him?"

"No, Jestine just called me, she's with Jack, John killed him, in cold blood, he probably doesn't even know that Jack can't die, killed the man he claimed to love.." Ianto breaks down in tears, thinking of what the man had done to Jack, his Jack.

"Oh, don't cry" Tosh grabs him in a hug, comforting Ianto, knowing how much Jack meant to him.

"Still I don't trust Jestine, just how much do we know about her?" Owen asks as he tries to stand up.

"Look now isn't the time for this; we still need to find Gwen." Tosh interjects. Both her and Ianto move to help Owen. The three make their way to the car and to Gwen.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"If she's in one of these, we'll never find her, there's too many!" Ianto moans.

"Just keep looking! Tosh encourages.

"Aah! God, I need more painkillers!" Owen gasps as the movement of closing a container door causes him pain from the bullet wound.

"I'll try her phone again." Ianto pulls out his phone. They strain their ears, trying to hear Gwen's phone. There is a soft ringing, indication of the phone. Ianto takes off towards the noise, with the others following close behind.

"Over here!" He shouts as he closes in on the noise.

"She must've dropped it." Owen notes as he picks Gwen's phone off the ground.

"Gwen! Gwen!" Ianto shouts hoping for reply as Tosh digs around in her bag.

"Unless it's another of Captain John's tricks." Tosh points out to the boys while taking out her hand held scanner.

"What're you doing?" Ianto asks as he watches Tosh wave her scanner about.

"If Gwen used the phone here, I can use the network to triangulate the location where she answered her last call. Got it!" Tosh yells triumphantly as she follows the signal, the boys close behind.

"This is where she made the call. "Open every container door!" Tosh orders, eager to have Gwen with them again.

"She's in here!" Tosh calls out as she spots Gwen in a container.

"Gwen, it's all right. We're here with you." Tosh comforts Gwen as the others check her.

"What happened? What's he done to her?" Tosh asks as she realizes Gwen can't move.

"She's still breathing. No discernible injuries. Tosh, let's get this thing started. Ianto, take a swab." Owen orders, now in full doctor mode.

"Right, pupils dilating, she's still conscious. Stay with us, darling." Owen says as Ianto dabs the swab they took from Gwen onto Tosh's scanner. The analysis is done in seconds.

"He's poisoned her" Tosh gasps as the results flash up onto the screen. "Anti-toxin kit now!" Owen yells to Ianto who is already gone. "Gwen, hold on." He urges her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Had to go and steal a car. Get yourself noticed." John exclaims as he grabs a small pyramid from the pocket of the blowfish lying on Torchwood's autopsy slab.

"Now…" John mutters as he goes to place it on top of the triangle that he had formed from the pieces he had obtained from the canisters. Just as he is about to place it on top of the triangle he hears the sound of guns being cocked. Looking up he notices Ianto, Gwen, Owen and Tosh pointing their guns at him.

"Oh-kay" John says as he stands and faces them, the pyramid still in his hands. "Pretty and resilient. Is that even fair?" he asks, hoping to distract them.

"Maybe you didn't realize. You can beat, shoot, threaten, and even poison us, and we keep coming back. Stronger every time." Gwen gloats.

John taunts "Well, I think you ought to know, your boss is splayed out on the ... " interrupted by Jack stepping into view. "... pavement. Now that's impressive. Seriously, you can earn a fortune in the Vegas galaxies with an act like that. Go on, how's it work?" John is clearly shocked by Jack being alive.

"I can't die." Jack states simply.

"No. But, really ..." John stammers unable to believe the sight in front of him.

"No. But really, you can't kill me. No matter how many times you try. I can't die. Ever." Jack grins, stepping down to join his team, which now includes Jestine, who snuck in unnoticed.

"But what does it cost you? Every time you have to drag yourself back here, how does it feel? All that pain and trauma. Plus, you're reborn into this godforsaken mess. I pity you." John tries to regain his composer.

"These people. This planet. All the beauty you could never see. That's what I come back for." Jack says while glancing over at Ianto.

"Well, goody on you." John brings Jack's attention back to the situation at hand.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What's in the canisters? Gwen growls, still annoyed at John for trying to kill her.

"Come-clean time, Captain." Owen smirks from behind his gun.

"Yeah, all right. That woman I told you about? Had herself an Arcadian diamond, the rarest gem in the Damascene Cluster. Just when I'd got my hands on her, she only generates her own personal rift storm. God, I hate technological geniuses." John mutters.

"You said this was a dying woman's request." Tosh spits, disgusted at John.

"Yeah, she was dying. I shot her. Thought my luck had changed when I found it had ended up here. So, I'm thinking 50/50? Even split, good deal. Or if anyone fancies an orgy?" John tries to joke his way out of the situation.

Jack just marches down and grabs John, dragging him to his office.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Open it." Jack demands as the pyramid sits on his desk.

"What, not even a please? Don't your manners get brought back to life too?" John asks. "Now!" Jack orders more forcefully.

"This should give us the location of the diamond." John places the triangle pieces over the pyramid. The pyramid starts projecting a holographic image.

"There she is" John whistles in appreciation.

"The woman you murdered.' Gwen scowls.

"You've travelled several galaxies for this. Well done." The hologram starts to speak.

"Thank you, gorgeous." John purrs.

"Except ... there's no diamond." The hologram smirks.

"What?" John asks in disbelief.

"Only this." She laughs as the pyramid opens to reveal a bright metal piece inside, which separates and twists.

"No, no, no!" John yells as the metal floats out and changes into a circular disc with clamps.

"No, no, no, no, no. There's got to be a diamond. It's all about the diamond! What the hell is tha ..." John is interrupted as the metal clamps attaches onto his chest, while a red light appears and starts to tick.

"It's an explosive device, which will latch on to the DNA of whoever killed me. It'll detonate in ten minutes."

The image smirks as it turns to John, Ianto takes out his stopwatch to time, while Jestine curses.

"It can't be removed without exploding, so don't bother trying. Goodbye, lover." The women smirks.

"No, wait!" John calls out to the hologram.

"See you in hell." She smirks once more before the hologram ends.

"She can't be serious. Ten minutes." Gwen gaps.

John starts shouting "Get it off me!"

"Actually nine minutes…50,49,48" Ianto smirks holding up the stop watch.

"We need to get rid of it now!" Jestine yells, "the explosion will be enough to take out a huge chunk of the city"

Jack looks at her, surprised at her knowledge of the bomb.

"So, we should really get him out of the city?" Owen asks.

"Nine minutes 37" Ianto contributes.

John turns to Jack pleading "You've got to help me! Please."

Jack just stares him down. "Why?"

John suddenly punches Jack and grabs Gwen, twisting her arm behind her back and backing out of the office door.

Reacting the team grabs their guns. "Let her go!" Owen yells, pointing his gun at John.

"Get back! Back, back off! Get back!" John yells.

"Jack, help me!" Gwen yells as John pulls her back

"What've you done?" Gwen screams as she realizes John has handcuffed her to him. "

It's ... uh ... hypersteel, impermeable, deadlock sealed. No way to undo them. Unless you have this key." John smirks as he swallows the key.

Gwen grabs John by the throat, yelling "You are unbelievable!"

"And yet, you still find me strangely attractive." John leers before tuning back to the rest of the team. "Now YOU had better find a solution pronto or she'll be blown up with me!"

"Would shooting him stop the DNA trigger?" Owen asks, glee at the thought of being able to shot John

"No" Jack replies as he puts his hand on Owen's shoulder to stop him.

"So! What are we gonna do now, team? The orgy's still on offer, by the way. Especially now the cuffs are out." John leers around the room.

"Nine minutes, four seconds." Ianto continues the countdown.

"Tosh? The rift predictor program, have you perfected yet?" Gwen asks.

"Pretty much." Tosh replies as Jestine smiles, aware of Gwen's idea.

"What?" John asks.

"Anything in the next few minutes?" Gwen continues. Tosh runs off to check her computer.

"Gwen, no way." Jack orders, aware of the plan.

"What's she talking about?" John looks around confused by the half conversations going on around him.

"If we're in the rift when that disc explodes, the city will be safe." Gwen explains as Jack shakes his head.

"How does that save us?" John fearfully asks.

"It doesn't." Gwen calmly answers.

"Eight thirty-two ... thirty-one..." Ianto chimes in.

"You're bluffing." John challenges.

Gwen just stares back and says "Try me."

"The car park where he arrived.

"The crack in the rift is still active up there." Tosh interrupts their staring contest.

"That's where we're going." Gwen states as she starts pulling John away from the workstation area.

"Somebody better start doing something!" John yells.

Ianto and Tosh follow, while Owen stops Jack as Jestine moves towards the medical bay.

"Cut his hand off" Ianto suggest, smiling just a little too much.

Tosh shakes her head, "That would activate the bomb."

Owen is too busy pulling Jack towards the autopsy area to add to the hopeless suggestions.

"Don't make me pull you! Get up the stairs! Now!" Gwen yells to John as she moves to get out of the hub, with Tosh and Ianto following her.

Owen and Jestine are too busy pulling out trays filled with vials of blood from the refrigerator in the autopsy bay to pay much attention to what is going on above them.

Jack watches, still not knowing what they were up to. They silently start adding the vials together then putting it in a machine and mixing them all together.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Five minutes, twenty-two seconds." Ianto yells as the team speeds to the roof, while Tosh works away on the computer.

"I can't find the frequency the device works on. There's no chance of jamming it!" Tosh says sounding defeated.

"What happened to the others?" Gwen asks, noticing the absence of three of the team.

"Think I'm starting to see what he likes about this place. She's beautiful, he's stunning." John replies as he looks out the window.

"Don't you ever stop?" Gwen asks.

"What five minutes to live, you want me to behave? Oh, that's gorgeous."

"That's a poodle." Gwen sounds disgusted.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

As they arrive at the building where John first appeared Gwen yells "Out! GET OUT!"

"Ow, ow! I do love a woman who's rough." John leers.

"Fifty-one seconds." Ianto quips.

"You're not really gonna sacrifice yourself, are you?" John asks as Gwen watches the rift get bigger.

"Forty-five seconds."

"We have to go" Gwen starts pulling John along to the rift.

Trying to stop Gwen, John starts protesting "No! What about a last-minute rescue? What's the point of being on a team if you don't get a last-minute rescue!"

"Forty seconds!" is his only reply.

"Tell Rhys…Tell Rhys, I.." Gwen starts to tell Tosh and Ianto, before the sound of screeching tires interrupt her.

They turn to see the red convertible speed out of the entrance with Jack, Owen and Jestine in it. Jestine jumps out with a syringe, running towards John and Gwen.

"Thirty seconds" Ianto's words ring out.

"Er, what's she doing?" John asks just before Jestine tackles them both and stabbing him directly in the chest with the needle, injecting him with the blood mixture.

"Agh! Get off me!" John yells grabbing Jestine and pulling her off.

"Owen, it's not working." Jack calls out as he watches from the side lines.

"Fifteen seconds!" Ianto warns.

"What are you doing?" Gwen yells at them.

"Trying to confuse the disc!" Owen answers confused by the lack of reaction.

"Why hasn't it worked?" Jack pleas.

"I don't know!" Owen cries.

"Twelve seconds!" Ianto warns again.

"Jack, do something!" Tosh cries.

Gwen realizes there is no other choice, so grabs John by his shirt and yanks him up.

"I've gotta go" she tells the team, tears in her eyes.

Jestine leans down to help her with John when suddenly the disc falls off with a large double click.

"Five ... Four ..." Ianto starts the countdown as Jestine pucks up the disc hurling it at the rift as Owen grabs Tosh pulling her towards the cars.

"Three..Two..One!" Ianto yells as the disc enters the rift.

"Run!" Jack calls out to Gwen and Jestine.

The explosion rips out of the rift, forcing the fleeing members into the air then hitting the ground.

"What the hell?" Gwen asks as she looks around, the sky is now dark, "What's going on? Why's it gone dark?"

"The rift's reverted to the moment he came through. Everything's jumped back to the beginning of the night." Jestine answers as she dusts dirt off her demin shorts and jacket.

"Like you were never here." Gwen breaths out.

"Now we've got to avoid ourselves, great!" Jack groans as the rest of the team joins them.

"It's a temporal displacement! Makes your tongue tingle, doesn't it? Lovely!" John grins.

"What was in the syringe?" Gwen asks.

"Torchwood DNA." Owen grins.

"What?" Gwen asks confused.

"DNA samples from you five, fused and injected into his heart. Temporarily corrupted his DNA coding, confused the disc." Jestine answers.

"You mean, there's a bit of all of them inside of me? Sweet goddesses, that's all I need." John grumbles.

"Thank you" Gwen smiles.

"You're welcome." Owen smiles as he wraps his arm around Tosh and gives her a reassuring squeeze.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"I want you gone." Jack growls at John.

"Well, we've got to work out a way to get these off first." Gwen reminds them of the handcuffs.

"Actually ..." John tilts his head back and reaches into the back of his throat while gagging a little and pulls out the key. "Old Artesian trick. Keep it in the lining of the throat. Has a lot of uses." John smirks.

"Like to see you do without gagging" Jestine smirks back.

"You had that all along?" Gwen turns to John, then Jestine, "And you knew he could do that?"

"You were my passport to survival. No hard feelings. Well, not in that sense." John leers as he uncuffs Gwen.

Gwen punches him in the face before turning to Jestine.

"Look, I thought the DNA was apart of your plan, I didn't think you were actually going to sacrifice yourself, anyway I knew it was going to work out ok." Jestine sooths.

Ianto is stunned at the punch, while Jack chuckles with amusement, along with Tosh as Owen flinches.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Ianto jokes.

"Ahem!" Jack holds his hand out to John for his vortex manipulator.

"Definitely bigger." Jack smirks as he secures it back on his wrist where it belongs.

"If you need a new team member ..." John pleas.

"No."

"Really? I could.." Jack interrupts as John tries to stay.

"No. Go now, and you can harness the residual rift energy."

"Listen ..." John tries once more.

"Goodbye." Jack stops him.

"Okay." John admits defeat. He grabs and kisses Jack hard, before turning to Jestine.

"I hope you have found what you were looking for, we had fun didn't we." John smiles as he waves to Jestine.

"Yes, yes we did," Jestine smiles back, waving as John presses a button on his wrist band and the golden gaseous light from the rift appears.

"Oh! By the way ... I meant to tell you. I found Gray." John speaks as the gold light surrounds him.

"Shit" Jestine curses as she turns to face Jack, who looks absolutely devastated. John watches this before turning and disappearing completely into the gold light. With this the light vanishes.

"It's ok, Jack." Jestine rubs Jacks shoulder, wishing John had just kept his mouth shut.

"Who's Gray?" Gwen asks, Jestine just turns and gives her a look that shuts her up.

The team just stand waiting for Jack. Jack takes a moment to process what John had just said.

"It's nothing. Let's get back to work."

He orders, wishing to put the past behind him, at least for a while.

**Hope you enjoyed reading, please let me know what you thought, have fun**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight now done, did take longer than I thought the characters couldn't make up their ****mind on what they wanted to do, bit of fun in this chapter at the start and some Janto fluff cause I just love it so much, although it does get a little angsty at the end, this chapter was largely to give you some answers on Jestine and show more of her character, although I'm not sure how well it has gone, the end bit I am a little iffy about, wanted Jestine to have some emotions but not sure if its too much or not, let me know what you think, thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing, favouring and alerting, you make me smile all day**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Torchwood would I really be posting this on Fan Fiction instead of getting it incorporated into the show, I think not, so Torchwood does still belong to RTD and BBC, not that they understand what an honour it is**

"So interrogation time?" Jestine quips as the team move away from the building to avoid John.

"No, need equipment from the Hub." Jack answers.

"So where are we going?" Owen moans, his hip still sore from the gun shot wound.

"We can't go back to the Hub, we were there, and I think our places would be too much of a risk." Jestine informs.

"I suggest we book some hotel rooms for the night, we could all do with some sleep, and then after that we work out the rest of the time." Ianto suggest.

"Great idea, how did we ever survive without you?" Jack over enthusiastically compliments Ianto.

"Stop trying to get into his pants, Jack." Jestine laughs at Jack trying so hard to impress Ianto.

"So I should book five rooms then?" Ianto looks at Jack to confirm that he would share with him, Jack answers by grabbing his hand and squeezing it.

"Why only five, there are six of us now?" Gwen seems confused, having missed Jack grabbing Ianto's hand as she was walking in front of them.

"Nah, only book four, I think I will head out tonight." Jestine asserts.

"No, everyone is going to the hotel to rest and make sure that we don't run into ourselves." Jack commends. "Also I would like Owen to check both you and Gwen over, you both landed quite heavily"

"Seriously, it's half price drinks tonight, do you know how pissed people get on half price night, the pickings will be great." Jestine pouts.

"No, even you can go one night without hooking up." Ianto counters.

"You are only saying that cause you have a easy lay already lined up." Jestine mutters back, causing the others to look at Ianto, then at Jack.

"You already let him back into your pants didn't you?" Owen accuses Ianto, causing Ianto to blush profusely and Jack to smirk.

"For fucks sake Ianto, he hasn't been back for a day, show some restraint." Owen scowls.

"So five rooms then." Ianto tries to move on from the subject of him and Jack.

"Wait a minute," Tosh interrupts, "when did you get time, you were with one of us pretty much the whole time, weren't you?"

"Not when we were looking for the canisters, they were busy in the elevator." Jestine smirks as she sees Ianto blush even more.

"Eww, you didn't, not in the lift, that's so gross." Owen gags.

"How do you know?" Gwen turns to Jestine.

"They got the wrong floor originally, thankfully they were both still fully clothed at the stage." Jestine laughs, watching Ianto turn even redder.

"Ok, enough about me and Ianto, lets get to a hotel so we can unwind." Jack manages to turn the attention back to the rooms.

"But that's no fun." Jestine pouts, as Ianto glares at her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The team found a nice hotel not far from the building that John had come from, and had booked five rooms. As no one had eaten for a number of hours it was decided that they would go to Jack's and Ianto's room to order room service and eat.

"So, how do you know John?" Tosh asks Jestine as they lounge around waiting for their orders to come, Owen checking her over for any injuries.

"Got into a bar fight, got chucked in jail, was screaming, my cell mate told me to shut up and I punched him, turned out to be John, although didn't properly meet till a couple months later when we run into each other in a bar." Jestine reveals.

"What was he in for that time?" Jack asks as he lounges on the bed, Ianto leaning against him.

"Trying to skip out on a tab,' Jestine laughs, "he never was good at flirting his way out of paying."

"Unlike you?" Ianto raises an eyebrow.

"If I feel like it, although normally have enough money that I don't need to." Jestine replies.

"Looks like your arm is broken." Owen tells Jestine as he pokes and prods her. "Looks quite bad, you really should go to hospitable for it, you need any pain meds?"

"Nah I'll be right, had worse, can you just bandage it up to makes sure nothing moves, it will heal on its own." Jestine causally replies.

"You sure, it's probably not painful yet, but once the adrenaline dies down, you are going to be in a world of pain."

"I'm sure, I'll be right, I've broken it before and probably will again, its nothing." Jestine replies forcefully, trying to get Owen to drop it.

Just then there is a knock on the door to announce the food had arrived, thankfully enough to distract Owen.

"Thank God, I'm starving." Owen gets up to answer, egger to get some food. The team starts to eat in a comfortable silence.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So what is your real name?" Jack asks as he feeds Ianto a mouthful of his curry.

"Don't really have one." Jestine answers as she pokes her noodles.

"What do you mean, don't really have one, everyone does, surely your parents gave you a name before the left you?" Gwen asks, then realizing just how mean she sounded.

"Sorry, didn't mean it like that."

"It's ok, they did name me, but I have never considered that to be my real name, they weren't naming a child, more naming their grief." Jestine replies, staring at her meal.

"Your parents left you?" Tosh asks, sounding deeply concerned.

"Yeah, well wasn't really their fault, one was dead hours after I was conceived and the other was too filled with grief." Jestine responses flippantly.

"That's still dreadful." Gwen looks at her with her big brown eyes filled with pity.

"Maybe," Jestine shrugs, "But it was probably better, like they couldn't even look at me with out crying, at least that's what The Doctor says."

"Anyway how did you know my parents weren't around?" Jestine turns to face Gwen.

"John told me, said you left to find your family and yourself, do you know what he meant?"

"Yeah, unfortunately I haven't been too lucky so far." Jestine looks away, remembering why she had come to this place and the events that had caused it all.

"So which reincarnation of The Doctor do you know?" Jack asks.

"Eleventh, one after yours." Jestine answers.

"Do you know when he changed?" Jack asked concerned knowing how much The Doctor hated it when he regenerated.

"Sorry can't tell you, spoilers." Jestine replies, causing Jack to pout.

"Hate his rules" Jack mutters, leaving the others confused.

"The Doctor has rules for when time travelling, largely to avoid paradoxes, but also he doesn't believe one should know too much about their future." Jestine fills the team in.

"Kinda annoying though, would have been hopeful with solving cases if I already knew what was coming."

"How did you know that now was the most important time in Torchwood's history then, if you don't know about the future?" Owen asks.

"I only know a little, not much, enough for my world to make sense and no more, no matter how much I begged him to let me look, he wouldn't let me." Jestine explains.

"Look at what?" Ianto asks.

"I have documentation on all the cases from Torchwood, an inheritance of sorts." She answers, not meeting anyone's eyes.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Why didn't you do your time skipping thingy today, and get the needle to us sooner?" Gwen asks after the room had slipped into silence for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry Gwen that I didn't, I just can't at the moment."

Looking at Jack she continues. "There was a person, he took over the world, a whole year went by before The Doctor was able to fix it, The Doctor, he made the world go back a year, before it all happen." She pauses for them to absorb the information.

"Neither of us was sure if I tried jumping during that time whether I would end up in the right place, and there is no way I am risking going in a place where he could know about me, I can not become known to The Master." Jestine ends with fear in her voice.

"How did that work?" Tosh asks, the idea of a whole year being erased intriguing her.

"I'm not sure, The Doctor doesn't like talking about it, during that time The Master hurt him so much," Justine sighs.

"Then when they met again it was the last time, now he is truly alone. He has companions, but they always leave for some reason or another, he hurts so much over it."

She finishes, her eyes filled with pained. Jack nods, well aware of the burden that The Doctor carries.

"How do you do it?" Gwen asks, looking at Jestine with intense interest.

"Do what?" Jestine replies, distracted, still thinking of The Doctor, her Doctor and everything he had gone through.

"You know, the whole time jumpy thingy"

"Oh, that, yeah, well its hard to describe. Kind of just picture where and when I want to be and kinda of walk there." Jestine struggles to explain.

"Why was you mother on the TARDIS, if he knew what would happen, he would never have let that happen?" Jack asks, staring Jestine down, still not completely sure about trusting her.

"My parent was a friend of The Doctor, they were in so much pain, they had just lost their partner, they were trying to run as far away as possible from it all, and what better way to run away than by using the TARDIS. I was two months early, so it was kinda unexpected." Jestine tries to explain without giving away too much.

"I think its time for drinks." Jestine suggest as every one had finished their meals, leaving the team to grab them.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So do you trust her yet?" Gwen asks as soon as Jestine had left.

"I don't know." Jack answers truthfully. "She doesn't seem like a threat, but she still hasn't told us much, who knows what she could be hiding."

"But she helped us today and when you were gone, if she wanted to do something, wouldn't she have done it already?" Gwen asks, trying to get Jack to like Jestine.

"You never know, look I don't think she will try anything, but I would like to know what she knows, there is something very familiar about her."

"She also knows a lot about us and Torchwood, more than she would get from just research, like she was a part of us, I want to know how she knows so much" Jack replies.

"Yeah, she does seem to know a lot," Tosh muses, "Like she knew how everyone liked their coffee on the first day."

"Look, I think she can be trusted to be apart of the team, but we still need to keep an eye on her." Jack states, just before Jestine returns with the drinks.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So you decided yet whether you trust me?" Jestine stares at Jack, well aware of what would have been asked while she was out of the room.

"It has been decided you can be apart of the team, but we will still give you a proper interrogation tomorrow." Jack stares back, not willing to back down with this girl.

"What is it like, travelling through time and space?" Gwen breaks the moment.

Jestine chuckles softy at the look on Gwen's face, she had seen it enough times, every time The Doctor got a new companion, always thinking it was such an adventure, not a way of life as it was for both her and The Doctor, they never really understood.

"I don't know how to describe it, you have to understand, I have travelled with The Doctor on and off all my life.

"For me its normal, it's the way I live. Each day in a new place, saving another planet, it is amazing at times, but also so normal."

Jestine looks around the room, hoping that what she had said made some kind of sense.

The faces around her just looked puzzled, unable to understand how it could become so normal to spend your life travelling time and space. Only Jack could really grasp any understanding of what it was like.

"Are there any good aliens out there?" Gwen asks, not sure if she could really believe that there were, after everything she had seen.

"God yeah, there are so many out there, it is so remarkable all the different aliens, you miss out of so much here in the 21st century, once humans manage to communicate with the wider world, it is crazy." Jestine beams, at the knowledge of where this species was heading.

"You would be so amaze at what is out there Gwen, it is breathtaking really, no matter how much time you spend out there, there is still something new to see." Jestine ends, her mind wandering across the universe, remembering the many experience she had already been through.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So, no one has told me yet, how did you become apart of the team?" Jack asks as the room sits in silence, each trying to imagine travelling through time and space and meeting so many different aliens.

"She was amazing, she saved us." Gwen gushes.

"Not true, I technically only save Ianto." Jestine replies, trying to speak down the whole experience.

It wasn't like she was being heroic or anything, she had known what she was doing, and there hadn't been any real risk to her.

"So what happened?" Jack tries getting the story.

"It was just a normal Weevil chase that got out of hand; your team just needed a little extra help." Jestine plays the incident down.

"Bull shit, it was no normal Weevil chase." Owen exclaims, "There were like ten, the scanners had only picked up three."

"Ten, you tried taking on ten?" Jack looks around the room shocked at the news; his team should have been ripped to shreds.

"There weren't ten." Jestine rolls her eyes, "Owen is just exaggerating again."

"There was so"

"Was not"

"Would you two stop it please?" Ianto shouts, "We have told you it does not matter, do not start again."

"Acting like bloody children." He mutters under his breath. Jack quirks an eyebrow at this display, wondering just when this stranger had become such a huge part of his team.

"Anyway," Gwen tries to once again get back on topic.

"So we had a number of Weevils,' pausing to glare at both Owen and Jestine.

"We were basically surrounded, one Weevil had Ianto pushed against a wall and was just about to maul him when," she pauses for dramatic effect, "this girl just appears from no where and kicks the Weevil, straight in the head, knocking it out straight away." Gwen finishes her account with a look of awe.

"It wasn't that dramatic." Jestine mumbles, whishing they would stop making her out to be some kind of hero, she knew it would end ok.

"It was, it was just like in the movies," Tosh joins.

"As soon as they heard the thump of the Weevil falling, all the others turned around and just stared at her."

"Then she just pulled out her phone and uses it to sap like five of them at once" Owen interrupts

"It was three Owen, and they were all standing in a puddle and pretty much soaked, it just an easy cause of electrocuting the water and they all got fried." Jestine glares at Owen for once again making it sound more exciting than it actually was.

"How did your phone do that?" Jack asks, confused by the story, especially when it was being constantly corrected.

"Special attachment." Jestine shrugs.

"Still would have needed to have been a huge shock to knock three, or five, how ever many there were." Jack asked, puzzled at this.

"Yeah, got it upgraded a while ago." Jestine admits, "Always need to be prepared when travelling with The Doctor."

"True." Jack nods, remembering some of his adventures with The Doctor.

"Does he still duct tape everything?" He asks chuckling at the memory of thinking the TARDIS was about to fall apart any second, it had that much duct tape on it.

"Yeah, a bit, not so much since I've been old enough to help with repairs." Jestine answers, also chuckling at The Doctor's over use of duct tape.

"So he is to blame for you putting duct tape every where?" Ianto looks at Jack accusatory, remembering the many times he had to clean the sticky residue off mirrors and desks and a number of other surfaces.

Jack just pouts in response, knowing that Ianto never can stay mad at him when he is pouting.

"Jack, stop it." Ianto whinges, knowing perfectly well that Jack was doing it to get out of trouble.

"Make me" Jack retorts, sounding exactly like a sulking six year old, well one that had entered puberty really early and already had their voice break.

"I just might." Ianto smirks, moving so that he was facing Jack and leaning in.

Moving in slowly Ianto presses his lips against Jack's, knowing the other man could never resist his kisses.

The little moment is broken by squeals of delight from Tosh, a groan of disgust from Owen and Jestine laughing. Ianto turns away, blushing deeply at the public display of affection, still not completely comfortable with his and Jack's relationship, if it could be called that.

"I really don't get how you still have the ability to blush after knowing Jack so long." Jestine laughs at the young Welshman currently hiding his head against Jack's shoulder.

"I like it when he does though." Jack smiles at the feeling of his Welshman snuggled up against his shoulder. "He is so cute when he blushes."

"You two are just too cute in total." Tosh squeals again, causing Ianto to burry even deeper into Jack.

"Get a room already." Owen mutters, still annoyed at Jack for having just left them, hurting Ianto so much. Him and the archivist had never really been close, but he still cared for him and seeing how much his world fell apart when Jack was gone hurt him, it hurt the whole team, even Jestine seemed to have been affected by it.

"Well technically, this is our room so if you don't like it leave." Jack smirks at Owen.

Gwen tries to smoother a yawn. Tosh is already looks like she is asleep.

"Maybe it is time we left." Gwen mumbles as she yawns once again. Jestine watches amused as she watches her team mates stumble out, all almost lost to sleep already.

She turns to see Jack watching her with interest.

"You probably could do with some sleep too." Jack replies as he gently moves Ianto, so he is now lying down on the bed, having fallen asleep without anyone realising.

"Yeah, probably." Jestine mumbles.

"You should know, with Torchwood any chance to sleep you should take." Jack tells Jestine as he sees her unwilling to leave.

"Don't worry, I'm use to unusual sleep patterns, you know what its like with The Doctor."

"Yeah, all action, no sleep." Jack chuckles. "How is The Doctor?"

"You know, he chatters a lot without saying anything, has his brilliant ideas that no one seems to understand."

Jestine smiles at the thought of The Doctor. "But yeah, I do worry about him so much some times, he gets so lonely, I almost didn't come, didn't want to leave him, but he wouldn't have it any other way."

"He told you to come?" Jack asks, shocked The Doctor would encourage anyone to get so involved in a time not of their own.

"Yeah, I know, so not like him, but he thought it would be good for me."

"I actually think he was sick of me." Jestine jokes.

"You were that bad, can I send you back?" Jack jokes back, enjoying talking to someone else who knew The Doctor, knew what it was like to travel through time and space.

"I really don't think he would have me back, must be enjoying the peace and quiet." Jestine laughs.

"God, the silence would be driving him crazy, is he still unable to sit still for more than five minutes?"

"Nah, not that bad, he still is up and go a lot, but I think having to deal with me made him appreciate the down moments."

"Really, how bad were you?"

"Pretty bad, you know the whole teenage rebellion thing, I was doing that from like age 10, and then when I started shagging the people we met, he hit the roof over that."

"You know, he was so much like a parent in that way, always telling me that I should have more respect for myself and shouldn't just sleep with anything that looked my way."

"Shouldn't try and shag away my grief."

"Shagging away your grief doesn't work." Jack answers, well aware from experience.

"You ok, what happened?" Jack asks, concerned at the pain conveyed in her eyes.

"Nothing, I have nothing to grieve over, The Doctor just thinks I should be upset about my parents, but it wasn't their fault, shit happens and people hurt, way of life."

This statement sent a chill through Jack, someone so young already thinking the world was only filled with pain.

"That's not completely true." Jack replies, hoping to cheer her up.

"You know it is, you were the one who told me so"

"What, no, I don't even know, at least not that I know of, do I know you?" Jack asks confused about her statement, had he really told some one that.

"No, you don't, sorry, sometimes I forget that you aren't the Jack I know, sorry."

"So I know you in the future?"

"Yes and no."

"We have met, but only on a handful of occasions and most were when I was really young, although I did see you once, would have been just before I was 10, that was when you told me that."

"Why?" "Why would I be so horrible to say that to an innocent 10 year old?" Jack asks, shocked at what he was going to do.

"Don't worry about it, you were in so much pain, for so long, and I was never innocent, I saw and knew how the world was before that, I just chose to ignore it, you made me realise there was no point in ignoring it, you just have to enjoy life and get what you can while you can."

"So you use to treat your self pretty badly?" Jack broaches the topic, hoping to be able to understand this girl and maybe even help her.

"No, I never treated myself badly, I just liked being able to keep the sex separate from the emotion, The Doctor just didn't understand it, he didn't get why I had my rules."

"You had rules?" Jack ask quizzical, not having known many people who had specific rules about who they slept with, just often that it was human and of a certain gender.

"Yeah, he thought it was too much, thought it showed that it wasn't what I really wanted but to protect me, it wasn't, it just made things easier."

"What were the rules?"

"That they can't know my name and to never sleep with the same person on more that one separate occasion." She states like it were a shopping list.

"What is your hang up about your name?" Jack is highly curious, the only people he knew worse was the Time Agency.

"Just it invites intimacy, I don't want that." Jestine again just states, as if it were the most simple answer in the world.

"Ok" Jack answers, still not sure what her problem was. "What's with the no sleeping with the same person on more than one separate occasion?"

"Once you start sleeping with someone regularly it so easily turns into something more."

"Not always."

"I know, its just that's how it started with my parents, just a casual thing that ended with one dead physically and the other emotionally dead."

"I'm really sorry for everything you have gone through." Jack says with all honesty, worried by how broken this girl really was.

"I promise we will look after you at Torchwood, you can trust us, we won't just leave you."

Jestine looks up at Jack and sees the man he is, and wishes so much she could make sure he stayed that man for longer. Remembering the Jack she knew was so heartbreaking when seeing this remarkable man in front of her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack watches as Jestine seems to break even more, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

Without thinking he walks over and wraps her in a huge bear hug, trying to give her some of the comfort that she seemed to have never had experienced. To begin with, she just flinched, like she thought something bad would come of the contact, but slowly she relaxed into the hug, burying her head into his shoulder, so much like Ianto had not too long ago. Suddenly Jack could feel her shaking against him, and hear a deep sobbing.

"Shh, it's ok." He tries to soothe her, rubbing her back in light circles. Jack stood there for how long he didn't know, until he realized she had stopped crying. Pulling himself slightly away from her to see if she was feeling better, Jack saw she had fallen asleep.

Smiling to himself he carefully lays her down next to Ianto, jokily wondering if maybe he was bad company to have around after having sent two people to sleep in one night.

Looking down at the two asleep, Jack couldn't help but marvel at how young they both looked while sleeping, although Jestine still seemed to carry some of her burden even in her sleep. Jack sighed sadly, wondering if he could help her.

Carefully leaving the two sleeping Jack lies down on the couch, hoping to get a little bit of sleep before his nightmares came, hoping he wouldn't wake either of the forms that laid so still in the bed.

**Hope you enjoyed it, probably the last chapter for a few days, start back at uni on Monday and have a few projects and test to spend time preparing for, have fun**


	9. Chapter 9

**So this chapter is finally finished, been a really busy week so far at uni and it doesn't look like it is about to improve, I will try and update again soon but no promises sorry, thank you to every one reading, reviewing, alerting and favouring, you encourage me to stay up late finishing off chapters even when I have a full day the next day.**

**I'm still a little unsure about this chapter, just trying to show a little more about Jestine, any questions please feel free to asks, sorry its so short, it was that or not having it posted till god knows when**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Torchwood or any of the characters, remain the property of RTD and BBC, one day, one day I will own them and keep them all to myself, until then please read on.**

Darkness.

Screaming.

Hands dragging her down, holding her.

No escape.

Then the knives being dug deep into her skin, piercing ever organ.

Her body filled with pain, overwhelming everything.

And the laugh, the cold evil laugh.

Pain evading her every atom, her body on fire from pain.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack wakes, startled from his sleep, unaware of what woke him. Then he hears it.

A bone chilling scream, and not his own.

Looking around Jack struggles to find the source, blearing through sleep filled eyes. Then his eyes lay on the bed.

He sees Ianto kneeling on the bed, struggling with a wild Jestine. Jack looks closer, unable to comprehend what he was seeing, then he realises Jestine's eyes were squeezed shut, so tightly.

Jack's sleep dulled mind suddenly kicks into gear, having him run over to help Ianto before he had even realised what was happening.

"What's going on?" He asks as he struggles to control Jestine.

"I don't know, I just woke to her screaming and lashing out." Ianto pants

"Here let me try." Jack grabs hold of Jestine, stopping her from being able to lash out any more.

This only serves to cause her to punch Jack squarely in the jaw. Jack tumbles from the punch, causing Jestine to fall with him.

As they hit the floor Jestine is startled awake, looking around with eyes full of pain and fear.

"It's ok, you're awake, you're safe." Ianto tries to sooth the traumatised girl.

"What, what happened?" Jestine stares around the room still on the floor.

"You were having a nightmare." Ianto sooths as he helps her back on the bed.

"You ok Jack?" Ianto looks over to Jack, clutching a clearly broken jaw.

"Yeah, nice left hook you've got there." Jack answers, looking over at Jestine.

"Shit, I didn't do that, did I?" Jestine asks, distraught at the thought of having hurt any member of the team.

"Don't worry, it'll heal soon." Jack replies, full of concerned about this girl. He had seen many a people in amidst nightmares but none as bad as hers.

"What's going on?" Gwen rushes in the door, Jack having forgotten to lock it the previous night, gun raised, ready to defend against whatever threat was facing them now.

She is followed by Owen and Tosh, all having been woken by the yell and their training had kicked in.

"Whoa, it's all right." Jack calms the room down, getting his team to lower their guns.

They lower their guns, looking around the room to see what had been the caused of the scream. Their eyes settle on the bed, where Ianto was soothing Jestine, who still looked rattled by the dreams.

"What's going on?" Gwen repeats her earlier question.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Jestine pulls away from Ianto, trying to forget what had happened.

"Are you all ok, we heard a scream and thought there was something here?" Tosh explains, focused on Jestine.

"Don't worry that was nothing, must have just rolled onto my arm." Jestine tries persuading them.

"No it wasn't nothing, I have never seen anyone have that bad a reaction to a bad dream." Jack contradicts Jestine's statement.

The team all turn to stare at Jestine, shocked that such a sound could be caused by a dream, and frighten by what the dream must have contained to have caused such an outburst.

"It doesn't matter Jack, I'm fine, it was just a bad dream." Jestine moves to leave the room but Gwen steps in her way.

"Please don't leave, we just want to help you." Gwen looks at her, her big brown eyes filled with pity.

"I'm fine, I don't need your help or pity.' Jestine yells as she pushes past Gwen and storms out of the room. There rest of the team just stares after her in bewilderment.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What happened?" Owen asks, concerned about the safety of the youngest member of the team and probably the most damaged it seemed.

"I don't know." Jack sighs, wondering just what Jestine had been through before seeking out Torchwood.

"I just woke to her screaming and thrashing around." Ianto sits back down on the bed, exhausted, as it had only been an hour since he had fallen asleep.

"Must have been a hell of a dream." Owen mutters.

"Do we know what caused it?" Tosh asks, eyes filled with concerned.

Looking around Jack saw this reflected in the eyes of the whole team, realising that Jestine was as much a member of this team as any of the others.

"No, no idea at all." Ianto answers sadly.

"Have you ever seen her do it before, or heard it?" Gwen questions Ianto.

"No, we were almost never home at the same time, on the nights I knew of, she largely went out, often just skipping coming home all together."

"Wait, what do you mean home?" Jack asks, confused by Ianto's statement.

"Oh, yeah, she lives with me, in the spare room, she didn't have anywhere else."

"So she's staying at your place?" Jack asks, confused, knowing Ianto valued his privacy greatly.

"Yeah, like I said she had no where else and there was no way I was going to let her stay in the Hub, no one should." Ianto looks at Jack sternly, daring him to say something more on the topic. Jack looks around the room once more, seeing how tired his team was.

"Ok, everyone back to bed, that was no where near enough sleep for anyone, Owen, I want you to give Jestine a full exam tomorrow, and we need to work out a way to get her to open up to us, her dreams have to be bad to get that much of a response, especially after all her time travelling with The Doctor.

"It generally toughens you up, shocks and scares you a bit but toughens you up, a normal nightmare shouldn't be enough to get that response." Jack orders his team, hoping that he may be able to save Jestine from whatever it was that was haunting her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine runs to her room, slamming her door behind her, only then letting her tears fall.

How could she let herself show such weakness in front of the team? They were probably all laughing at her, thinking what a joke, that or the pity.

She didn't know what was worse, both treating her like a child though.

She didn't want any of them to think of her as a child, she wasn't.

She was sick of people looking down on her because of how young she looked, even though she had experienced so much in her life so much more than they ever would.

Remembering how each of The Doctor's companions looked at her, like she was someone who needed to be looked after or shouldn't be on the TARDIS, all thinking that she needed someone to mother her.

She didn't need her own parents, so she certainly did not need strangers pretending to be them.

A knock startles Jestine from her thoughts. Knowing it would be one of the team she just ignores it, not ready to hear their laughter or see their pity.

The knock continues and Jestine ignores it still. After a few minutes whoever the knocker was had given up and had gone away.

Or so Jestine thought. Suddenly there was the unlocking of her door. Without turning around Jestine knew it would be Jack, him and his stupid vortex manipulator.

Jestine just sat on her bed ignoring him as he walked across the threshold and sat down on the couch against the wall.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Jack asks, hoping to lighten the mood."

Jestine just continues to ignore him.

"Please, we just want to help you, if you don't tell us what is happening we can't." Jack pleas, wishing he could make her tell him.

"There is nothing to tell, I just had a bad dream, its nothing."

"No, that was defiantly nothing, that was a really bad dream, do you get them often?"

"Occasionally" Jestine mutters, still unwilling.

"How often is occasionally?"

"Not often, just when I sleep." Jestine mutters aware that he wasn't going to believe that.

"What." Jack is shocked, even at his worse he hadn't had nightmare that often, neither did Ianto after everything he had been through.

This poor girl must have been through so much. Jack's blood boils at the thought of what The Doctor had put her through.

And her parents, how could anyone just abandon their child like that.

Jestine breaks through his thoughts. "It's not that often, really, and not normally that bad, I think." Jestine barely whispers the last part.

"That is very often, having nightmare every night is something really serious, you need help and me and the team really want to be the ones who help you."

"I never said every night." Jestine frowns at how Jack got this information.

"You said when you sleep, is that not every night?" Jack asks, concerned that it may be even worse that they had thought and that maybe she was purposely avoiding sleep.

"What, no, who sleeps every night?" Jestine looks completely confused by what Jack was suggesting.

"Most people do, why how often do you sleep?" Jack starting to get worried about just how messed up this girl was, he was going to kill The Doctor the next time he saw him.

"I'm not sure, just depends, every few weeks or so normally, why, don't others?"

"No, what, how do you only sleep every few weeks?"

"I just do, like I understand it isn't as often as The Doctor or any of his companions, but it's not that odd is it?" Jestine turns to look Jack in the eye, hers filled with confusion.

"It's defiantly not normal, but really it's not something to worry about, if it's natural for you, or are you doing it to avoid the nightmares?"

"No, well not anymore, ok, when I was younger I would just stay awake until I couldn't any more, but I haven't done that for years."

"So these nightmares have been coming for years then?" Jack's voice barely a whisper, unable to comprehend what Jestine was saying.

"They aren't always the same."

"But there are always nightmares?"

"No, not when I don't sleep till I collapse, they are without dreams."

"But that can't be good for you."

"I'm fine Jack, really I am, it's just something I have to deal with, it doesn't matter, I'm use to it."

"There never is a problem, I never share a room with anyone so no one can get hurt, at least normally." Jestine looks at Jack's jaw guiltily, even though it had already pretty much healed.

"Just because you are use to it doesn't mean you should have to deal with it, please let us try and help, don't you want to be able to sleep without nightmare?"

"I honestly wouldn't know what it is like."

"Then let us help you."

Jestine looks hesitant at Jack, not sure if his offer was one she should take. Slowly she nods her head, if it didn't work out she could just go back to before.

"You ok to try and get some more sleep?" Jack asks as Jestine agrees for help, reluctantly but still agreeing all the same.

"No, no chance of sleep, already had more than enough, is it ok if I go out?" Jestine asks, wishing to escape this night.

"Ok" Jack relents, "But just be really careful, meet back here at nine ok."

With a nod Jack leaves, Jestine not too far behind him, in search of something to take her mind off everything.

**Ok, so chapter nine is done, not sure when chapter ten will be, although if you review it will encourage me to write quicker, till then have fun**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for this chapter taking so long, life has gotten kinda crazy and technology seems to hate me at the moment. Thus will almost certainly be the last chapter before Sleeper. Just dealing with the aftermath of the nightmare and finding out a little more about Jestine. This chapter is M, there is swearing, slash and mention of drink spiking but nothing further on that, but if anyone has a problem with it I can remove it, I don't intent to insult or cause offence to anyone, just let me know if you do have any problem with it, please read and review. Just want to take the chance to say thank you to everyone who reviewed and favourited my other story, thank you so much as too everyone who does the same for this one. Please Rn'R**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, the song Doctor Jones, or the movie Back to the Future or the show Brothers and Sisters, I just enjoy all of them.**

Jack walks slowly back to his and Ianto's room, a little hope rising in his chest, at least she had agreed to let them help.

The poor girl, he could only imagine what she had been through.

Sure The Doctor showed you some amazing things but there were also so many terrible things out there to witness, it was certainly no place for a child.

"Hey, how did it go?" Ianto asks as Jack lowers himself into the bed.

"I really don't know to be honest, she agreed to let us help, but I don't know if we will be enough."

"She barely sleeps because every time she does she had nightmare." Jack sighs.

"Every night?" Ianto asks, shocked at the thought of someone being tortured every night, even at his worse he got some break and with time it passed but is sounded like this had been going on for quite a while for Jestine.

"No, that's what I thought too, but it seems she only sleeps every few weeks, she didn't even realise it wasn't normal." Jack shares as he snuggles up against Ianto, having missed the warmth of his body during the year that never was.

"What, how, surely that isn't possible."

"It would seem it is, at least with Jestine. It just worries me, what has she been through, I know what it is like travelling with The Doctor, is hard for anyone let alone a child." Jack wraps an arm around Ianto, pulling him closer, needing human contact so much after so long.

"If I ever met this Doctor of yours I swear I am going to kill him." Ianto seethes, knowing how much The Doctor had hurt Jack by leaving him when he first died and now what he had done to Jestine, surely he would have realised that his travels weren't safe for a child, even he knew that much, just by hearing some of Jack's stories.

"Not if I get there first, I can't believe he would let someone go through all that, and her parents."

"I know, how anyone could do that, I don't care how heartbroken you are, children still deserve a stable upbringing, not one filled with chasing around aliens."

"I know, I wish I could change it for her, no one deserves the pain she is in. But we can't do anything about what she has been through, we just have to help her as best as we can now."

With a sigh both men move closer to each other till it became almost impossible to know where one ended and the other started.

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Jestine walks out onto the street, no idea where she was going to go, just knowing that she had to get away from it all. She did always know it wasn't normal to have nightmares every time you sleep.

And as for the sleeping every night, she had known about it, but hadn't believed it, The Doctor didn't sleep that often either so it was never something that she had given much thought.

Anyway sleeping every night would just cause more nightmares.

As she wanders, she wonders what it would be like waking up, having had a proper sleep without nightmare, feeling refreshed. Even the times she had collapsed from lack of sleep hadn't been great, sure she had no nightmares but it always felt like she hadn't sleep at all.

Could Torchwood really help her? Jestine shakes her head, deciding that she could work that all out later.

Glancing at her watch, she notices it is still early, still a chance to hook up with someone. As closed minded the 21st century was compared to what she knew, a good lay was a good lay whenever you went.

Jestine smiles to herself as she walks towards some clubs she knew to be good picking grounds, wondering what would be offer tonight.

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Ianto wakes startle, hearing a familiar American accent shout things. He rolls his eyes as he turns to Jack, a little annoyed at having been woken up by two lots of nightmares in one night, with not one being his.

Gently Ianto wraps his arms around Jack, knowing it always helped ground him.

Waiting for the nightmare to pass Ianto whispers softly to Jack, calming him with his soft Welsh vowels.

Jack wakes with a gasps, limbs grabbing wildly for something. He opens his eyes trying to find where he is.

"Shh, Cariad, its ok, you're safe." Ianto sooths Jack, just letting him know that he was there for him.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Jack asks groggily, his mind still focused on his nightmare, The Master's evil laughter still ringing in his ears.

"It's ok Jack, I don't mind, you were there for me when I needed you." Ianto cups Jack's cheek and leans in for a kiss, hoping to alleviate some of Jack's pain.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Jack asks as he and Ianto break apart from the kiss.

"I could ask you the same thing" Ianto smiles back at Jack, so glad he came back, for him.

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Jestine makes her way back to the hotel, it was nearing nine. She wasn't sure if she could face any of them now.

The last few hours had at least relieved some of the anxiety she had built up in the aftermath of her nightmare.

She had to say, even though they were still so narrowed minded, 21st century humans still knew how to have a good time.

Although it had been unfortunate about the guy who had tried slipping the date rape drug into her drink. She smirked as she remembered how she had left him. It served him right, she wasn't the first he had tried that with, thankfully she would be the last though.

She laughed at the image of him waking up, naked, hand cuffed to a lamppost with "I spike girl's drinks" tattooed on his forehead. She knew some would consider it incredibly harsh, but what he had done to his victims wasn't exactly nice, he got what he deserved.

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Ianto rolled over, turning off the alarm he had set for eight, wanting enough time to get up and ready before the team met back up at nine. Beside him Jack was stirring.

"What time is it?" A muffled question comes from under the blanket that Jack had buried himself in.

"It's eight, we need to get ready before the team comes, as much as I enjoy you naked, I don't think the rest of the team would enjoy it."

"Why eight?"

"To give us time to get up." Ianto smirks, knowing exactly where this conversation was heading, hence why he had allowed an hour for them to get ready.

"I don't need anytime to get up with you around." Jack smirks as he runs his hands down Ianto's chest, going lower until he had reached Ianto's groin.

"And it looks like you are already up." Jack smirks again as he gives Ianto's cock a squeeze, earning a moan from the younger man, the sound sending shivers straight to Jack's own cock.

Ianto pulls Jack up into a passionate kiss, exploring Jack's mouth with his tongue, letting the overwhelming taste that is Jack roll over him.

His hands roam up Jack's body until they rest in Jack's short hair, using it to pull the immortal closer.

Jack's hands meanwhile where exploring ever centimetre of the Welshman, eager to memorise every little detail to memory.

As air becomes to great a need for both men, they pull away, gasping for breath.

"I missed you so much Jack, I didn't know if you were coming back or not." Ianto whispers as his lips ghost over Jack's skin.

"I will always come back for you." Jack replies before Ianto starts sucking on his cock.

"Oh, God, fuck you are so good." Jack moans as Ianto licks the whole of Jack, sucking and twisting. Jack buckles his hips, trying desperately to create more friction.

That is until he feels Ianto's fingers ghosting his hole. Shivers of anticipation run through Jack, causing his cock to swell even more.

"You like that, do you?" Ianto's voice husky with desire.

Jack just moans in reply, past the point of being able to form words. Ianto chuckles at the affect he has on the man, sending vibrations through Jack's cock.

He slides one finger into Jack, twisting, aiming for the bundle of nerves that would send Jack into a frenzy.

Finding it, Ianto presses into it again and again as Jack buckles underneath him. Ianto inserts a second finger and begins stretching Jack out, the sounds his lover was making causing his cock to swell with pleasure.

"Oh God Ianto, please I need you inside of me now." Jack begs as he buckles against the two prong attack on him.

Ianto quickly slicks himself up, just as eager as Jack to feel the other man that close to him.

Ianto lines himself up with Jack's twitching hole, suddenly impaling Jack's arse with his dick until he was balls deep.

Shifting his angle he moves until he finds Jack's prostate.

Jack moans as the pleasure rips through his body, the sound sending pleasure to Ianto's cock, causing him to speed up.

Ianto captures Jack into a deep kiss, melting into the other man as they rock, perfectly in time, more like one than two.

Jack yells as every time Ianto pushes into him, hitting his prostrate and causing him to see stars. Jack can feel his climax building, then he feels Ianto's hand on his cock, twisting and squeezing in time to each thrust.

"Ianto, Oh Ianto, fuck, Ianto." Jack screams as he peaks, coming over Ianto's hand and both of their stomachs.

This causes Ianto to moan, the tightness of his lover around his penis enough to send him over, shooting his sperm deep into Jack.

Jack moans as Ianto's soft cock slides from his arse, missing the feeling of being so full.

But before he could focus on the loss too much Ianto is kissing him deeply, tongue pushing for entrance which he grants immediately.

"Oh God, I missed you so much." Jack moans into Ianto's mouth.

"Me too." Ianto whispers as he breaks for air. Both men get lost in each other, just so glad to be back in each others company.

A loud knock interrupts them.

"Just letting you know its eight thirty." Jestine calls out from the other side. "The rest of the team probably would like you to be dressed for the meeting." And with that she walks off, leaving the two men to reluctantly pull apart and get dress.

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Jestine smiled as she made her way to her room, knowing that at least for now Jack and Ianto were happy. She just wished they could stay that way. Her thoughts are interrupted by her phone ringing.

Grinning she pulls it from her pocket as it blast out "Doctor Jones."

"Hey Doc, what's up, how's Radion?"

"Oh yeah you know the normal."

"How's the new companion, how did she react to the Radian?" Jestine asks as she opens her door and slips inside.

"Not well, I think you were right about her, she is a little narrow minded." He sighs.

"Oh, I'm sorry, look maybe you should just give her some more time, I mean the Radian's do take a little getting use to, narrow mindedness can be overcome, just look at the human race. You choose her, so she can't be too bad; you know what you are doing."

"Yeah, maybe, anyway just called to see how you were going."

"Um, well yeah."

"That well." He asks sarcastically.

"I had to tell them about knowing you, you know what Jack is like, needs to know everything."

"You didn't tell him everything did you?" The panic clear in his voice.

"God no, I'm not stupid. No, I just told him that I knew you, that you were a later reincarnation that he knew."

"I also had to tell him about being able to travel through time and space. John Hart came through and the idiot doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut."

"Ok, ok, well that's not too bad I guess, that was all right?"

"Well no, I, I feel asleep in his and Ianto's presences."

"Oh"

"Yeah, I know. Look I don't think they know what the dream was about. But the thing is they have offered to help me, they have said they want to make me better, let me be able to sleep without nightmares."

"Wow, so you are going to let them help you?"

"I don't know honestly, I would love to know what it is like to have a proper nights sleep, but what if they want me to tell them about the dreams, I can't tell them, can I?"

"Look, I think you should let them help you, just be careful what you tell them."

"Yeah, ok, oh, one more thing." She hesitates, wondering how to tell The Doctor.

"What, please tell me it's nothing serious?" He begs.

"I don't know how serious it is, but at one stage Jack asked if my parents were from the 51st century, I think he could smell the pheromones, I didn't answer but I don't know if he will bring it up again and if he does I don't know what to say. I really don't want to lie to him, not after everything."

"That is quite serious, I think the main thing is to just make sure he doesn't ask again but if he does you will need to come up with something, under no circumstances is he or any one else to find out, do you understand?"

"Yes, I know, I will try my best, I guess if it comes to it I will." Jestine sighs, wishing for once that her life wasn't so complicated, but really she knew that would never have happened, not with the family she was born into.

"Remind me again, why did I want to do this?"

"Because you need to, you wouldn't be you without knowing them and at least being with them when it all happens."

"Yeah, I guess so, I just didn't think it would be this hard, I look at them and all I see is what is going to happen to them."

"Ianto forgave Jack straight away, he has so much trust in him, they love each so much, it just hurts to know that it will all end far too soon and that I need it to happen."

"I know, but remember it is needed, not just for you but for the whole world. And I promise you it will work out in the end."

"I know, I just don't understand how, you have seen what he is like once it is all over, there just doesn't seem like there is anyway for it to be better."

"I know it looks bleak but trust me, I know about these things and it will work out one way or another, but I need you to stay strong, ok?"

"I know, I will, I always am strong." She smiles, remembering how it always is, she stays strong until he is there to comfort her.

"Thanks, I really need to hear from someone who knows me, and you know how few there are of those."

"Ok, well I think that maybe it is time for me to say goodbye, Sophie looks like she wants to leave now."

"Ok then, speak to you soon, have fun." She smiles as she hangs up.

Sure it was going to be tough but she needed to be here, to make sure everything went right, but more importantly she needed to know things.

She looks at her watch noticing the time, time to meet with the team to work out what they were going to do.

Jestine smiles to herself as she leaves her room, The Doctor believed in her, she knew she could do it, he wouldn't have let her otherwise.

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Jack and Ianto had somehow managed to get ready before the team came, despite a repeat performance in the shower. At ten to there was a knock on the door, Ianto opening it to find Jestine standing there lost in thought.

"Hey, hope I'm not too early." Jestine smiles.

"No, actually quite late for you, please come in." Ianto smiles back, glad that they finally had someone on the team who knew about punctuality.

"Thanks." Jestine answers as she makes her way into the room, sitting against the wall like the previous night.

"So are you two going to grill me for information before the others come, or make it a group effort?"

"No, it won't be like that at all, we just want to help you, anything you don't want to tell us, we won't push." Jack walks over to Jestine and looks her directly in the eyes, hoping that she would trust them enough to let them help her.

"Ok, but there are still other things you want to know about I'm guessing."

"Well yes, but most of that would be better done at the Hub. I want your entire test redone, as I'm guessing you would have meddled with them." Jack raises an eyebrow at her.

"Um, yeah, about that.." Ianto trails off.

"What about them." Jack turns to stare Ianto down.

"Down boy." Jestine quips.

"Look don't look at Ianto like that, it isn't his fault. There wasn't any time, they were flat out busy."

"So what test did you have done?"

"None."

"None." Jack replies in disbelief.

"Please Jack it wasn't their fault."

"The rift was playing up massively, and they were so busy and worrying about when you were coming back."

"Please don't blame them, they were just so glad to have someone else to help them, testing was the last thing they had on their mind."

Jack still looks visibly angry at such a break down of protocol but at least didn't look like he was about kill someone.

"Look if it makes you feel better I will happily comply with most of your test."

"What do you mean by most of?"

"No blood work."

"No deal."

"You have to accept that, you can not look at my blood."

"Why, what about your blood can't we test?"

"Spoilers."

"Fine, but everything else we test." Jack demands.

"Spoilers?" Ianto asks, confused by such a simple answer had pacify Jack.

"The Doc's way of saying something is in your future and that you are not allowed to know."

"The Doc?" Jack chuckles.

"Oh, yeah, nickname for him, you know, after "Back to the Future," loved that movie and seemed appropriate." Jestine laughs back.

"He lets you call him that?"

"Yeah, I think he got use to it after a while." Jestine smiles at the memories, although there had been terrible things in her childhood she had had some great times.

"So anything else you want to ask before the rest of the team get here?" Jestine looks at both men.

"No, we can wait for the Hub." Jack smiles at the girl, she did have many secrets but at least she seemed to be willing to explain some.

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The silence was interrupted by a knock at the door, which was revealed to be the rest of the team.

"Ok, down to business." Jack starts as the team take up their spots from the previous night, the only acceptation being Ianto now sat on the end of the bed, having gone into professional mode.

"Maybe we should grab some food first." Ianto suggest as Owen's stomach growls loudly.

"Ok, food then work." Jack admits defeat as his own stomach makes itself known.

"Could we go to a café or somewhere that smells less like sex?" Jestine asks, grinning as she sees Ianto blush.

"For fucks sake, you two are worse than rabbits." Owen scowls.

"I know this great little café not far from here." Jestine suggest

"Ok then, everyone grab your stuff and we will meet in the foyer in five minutes." Jack orders.

The team meet in the foyer with the few belongings they had had on them when the rift has reverted back to the previous day.

"Ok, all ready, Jestine lead the way."

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The team follow behind Jestine eager for food. They talked and laughed as they went Ianto's hand firmly in Jack's. They had been walking for about five minutes when suddenly they came across a small crowd, gathered around a post that was bounded off by police.

"Please tell me this wasn't a crime scene and we are about to run into ourselves." Jack moans.

"No, we didn't have any, just working on John, remember." Gwen replies, puzzle by all the activity.

The group push their way through the crowd, moving to the front to see what had happened. As they get to the front they are met with the sight of a man handcuffed to a post, naked and with some message printed on his head.

"What's going on?" Gwen asks, seeing Andy on the scene.

"We don't know exactly, seems someone has knocked this guy out, handcuffed him to the post and had "I spike girl's drinks" tattooed on his head." Andy replies, sounding as perplex as they felt. They all turn as they hear Jestine laughing.

"Something funny?" Ianto inquires, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, that douche is getting exactly what he deserves."

"You did that?" Gwen asks, sounding shocked.

"He did deserve it, he has been spiking girls' drinks for a while now, this was the first time I managed to get his attention and get him back."

"Fuck" Owen swears.

"I heard nothing, ok?" Andy looks at Jestine, hoping she at least played along; he liked her and didn't want to have to arrest her.

"Of course Andy, but you did think to run his prints and DNA, ok." Jestine winks at Andy before turning and walking from the group.

"You know her?" Jack asks Andy.

"Oh, you back then, and yes, she has been very helpful to the police the last few months, manages to give us some idea what is going on." Andy glares at Jack, still not liking the leader of the group that always throw their weight around to push them out of the job.

"What has she been telling you?" Jack asks, alarmed by what she may have been telling people, it was meant to be a secret organisation after all.

"Don't worry not much, but enough to make us know why we should give it to you."

"Ok, look, thanks for everything, I guess I do forget that there are other people who do this as a job." Jack apologises, realizing just how important a good relationship with the police was. The team move to find where Jestine had gone.

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"You do realise you could have just reported him?" Ianto ask Jestine.

"Yeah but he deserved this more, the police would have needed proof and girls to testify and everything. And then if he served time it would only be like a few years, then he would be free to go back to it, now he will be stuck with it forever."

"He could always get it lasered off." Owen suggests.

"No, not with what I used." Jestine smirks. Jack just raises an eyebrow.

"Why haven't they got him out of the handcuffs yet?" Tosh asks.

"Because they aren't your standard earth handcuffs, only one way to get them off." Jestine indicates to her phone. "So I think they will be there for, I think 18hours 32minutes and 26 seconds."

"You haven't been using alien technology for your advantage, have you?" Jack chuckles, glad that at least some one was using it for some good instead of just betraying him.

"Who me?" Jestine tries to look innocent but fails because of the glint in her eye.

"Anyway, here we are." Jestine stops in front of a small café.

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The group chat happily while eating their breakfast.

"When did you get time to handcuff the guy to the lamppost?" Gwen asks Jestine, the question having been annoying her the whole time.

"After the whole incident thing I went out." Jestine replies between mouthfuls.

"You went out, how come she was allowed out?" Owen whinges.

"Cause I didn't need anymore sleep and I hadn't been shot in the hip." Jestine gets in before Jack can say a word.

"Ok, kids behave." Jack jokes, loving the fighting between his team, love seeing them like a family.

"So once we have done with the meal what are we going to do?" Ianto asks from Jack's shoulder where he was resting his head, just soaking in the smell that was Jack.

"We still can't go back to the Hub for another 2 hours." Jestine replies.

"So two hours off?" Owen asks hopefully.

Jack looks at Ianto, unsure about what to do.

"I don't think it would hurt, as long as we avoid the Hub and where we found John." Ianto suggest.

"Ok then, free time kids." Jack enounces.

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He sits back and watches as Gwen scuttles off, probably off to meet her finance,

Owen and Tosh walking off together, talking about a movie both had been watching to catch for a while.

This just left Ianto, him and Jestine. Jack looked over at the girl and noticed her staring at a family playing in a park across from the café, unshed tears shinning in her eyes.

Life really had done a number on her already, and here she was, wanting to be apart of Torchwood, something that would surely only crush her more.

"How about we head home so we can change clothing?" Ianto suggest to Jestine, taking in her torn and bloody clothes.

"If you don't mind having me hang around, I'm sure you have better things to do." Jestine replies full of sincerity.

"Of course not, look me and Jack won't mind you being around, would we?" Ianto turns to look at Jack.

"I wasn't sure if you would actually let me come with you, after everything." Jack replies full of nerves.

"Of course you were going to come with us, where else would you go?" Ianto caresses Jack's cheek.

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They paid the bill and made there way back to Ianto's place. Ianto and Jack walking hand in hand and Jestine walking just a little in front with her headphones in. They walk in relative silence, each caught up in their own thoughts. When they arrived at Ianto's place Jestine slipped in to her room leaving the men alone.

"Would you like to borrow some clothing?"

"If you don't mind." Jack smiles at Ianto, so glad to be back.

"You just going to stand there all day?" Ianto jokes as Jack takes in the place. He has only been there a few times, and even in the time since it had change. It felt more homely, like someone lived there, unlike just after Lisa, it was so bare.

Once he was sure Jack had had enough of a look, Ianto grabbed his hand and lead him to the bedroom.

"Someone is a little eager to get me into bed." Jack smirks.

Ianto just rolls his eyes and sorts through his clothes, trying to find something that would fit Jack.

"Here try these on." Ianto passes Jack a pair of deep blue jeans and a blue t-shirt.

Ianto watches as Jack tries on the clothes, hoping they would fit. Jack looks himself over in the mirror, preening himself, making Ianto laugh.

"What?" Jack pouts, "Don't you think this suits me?"

This just causes Ianto to laugh more, always being amused at just how vain Jack was.

Jack just looks at Ianto, then suddenly storms out of the room.

"Shit, Jack, wait, please, I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you." Ianto yells as he follows the man out.

"You were, you were laughing at me, you think I look funny." Jack pouts.

"No, Jack, no, not at all, I think you are the most gorgeous person in the whole universe." Ianto whispers as he cups Jack's chin. "I could never think you look funny." Ianto leans in, kissing Jack slowly, coaxing him.

"You sure this is ok then?" Jack asks as he and Ianto break apart.

"Yes I'm sure, I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings, I wasn't laughing at you."

"Ok." Jack cheers up now that his ego has been stroked. "Now I want to see you get changed." A smirk now replacing his pout.

"Very well Cariad." Ianto smiles as he once again leads Jack into his room.

Ianto ended up going with a pair of black skinny leg jeans and a red shirt, having decided for a more casual entire for the day. Much to Jack's pleasure.

They sat waiting on the couch, Jack leaning back on Ianto, as they waited for Jestine to be done and they could plan their next move.

Both were so lost in each other they failed to notice when Jestine reappeared, wearing a different pair of shorts and black t-shirt under her jacket.

"So what are we doing next?" Jestine asks as she sits down on one of the single couches.

"Not sure yet, what did you have in mind?"

"Get your feet off the coffee table, how many times do I have to tell you." Ianto looks sternly at Jestine.

"Sorry, I forget, not my fault that The Doc had no stupid rules like that."

"I really don't care what we do." "We do only have an hour left."

"The rules are not stupid." Ianto glares at Jestine, daring her to insult his rules again.

"How about we just stay here?" Jack asks, interrupting the argument brewing.

"Yeah, whatever." Jestine shrugs.

"We could watch some of the "Brothers and Sisters" episodes you have missed." Ianto suggest.

"Ok." Jack smiles up at Ianto, happy to do anything as long as his Welshman was by his side.

"Cool, if you lot are going to do that, I will just hang in my room."

"You sure you don't want to join us?" Ianto asks.

"No, its ok, I wouldn't want to intrude, you too need some time alone, anyway I've got some reports to review, I will let you know when its time for us to leave, ok."

And with that she left, leaving the men to enjoy each others company.

The time seemed to pass quickly and soon it was time for them to head off to the Hub, mindful of not running into themselves.

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"Hey, Jestine you know that whole jail thing when you met John, why didn't you just jump to another time and/or place?" Ianto asks as they were nearing the Tourist Centre.

"I was too drunk, alcohol and drugs affect my ability to jump properly." Jestine supplies. "Who knows where I may have ended up?"

The rest of the journey is silent until they met up with the others.

Everyone seemed a little pleased to be back to the Hub, seeking normality.

"Ok team, I want Owen to perform all test on Jestine, except blood work, Tosh I want you to go through all the information Jestine put up on herself, and delete it, Gwen catch up on any paper work and Ianto get us coffee before debriefing about the time I have been gone." Jack orders, having slipped into Captain mode once they had entered.

"Why no blood work?" Owen questions.

"Don't like needles." Jestine answers before Jack could. "When I was like eight, got a blood test and they broke the needle while it was in my arm, then when they tried the other arm they missed the vein. Never have liked them since so try and avoid them as much as possible."

Owen just looks puzzled at this answer but shrugs anyway, willing to start the procress.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The test took a few hours, after which Owen let Jack know, so he could call a team meeting for them to discuss the results.

"So what do you have for me?" Jack asks, once the team was seated around the table.

"I suggest Tosh puts it on the screen, you are all going to want to see these."

"I doubt it, they aren't that interesting." Jestine mutters.

A few moments later Tosh has all the information up on the screen. Each team member scans it, but still waits for Owen to explain.

"I really don't know where to start with this one."

"I don't know why you need to start on anything, it's all normal." Jestine mutters from the corner she had taken refuge in.

"Tell me about the physic testing." Jack orders, curious about the results.

"The results are incredibly Jack, I haven't seen any this high." Owen remarks.

Jestine rolls her eyes. "They aren't really that high Owen, stop exaggerating."

"They are quite high, even for the 51st century." Jack muses.

"So you're physic too Jack?" Gwen asks, cynic about such things.

"A little." Jack mutters darkly.

"By 51st century standard he is dormant." Jestine smirks, as Jack glares at her.

"Not important." Jack growls at Jestine

"Ok, next." Jack moves the meeting on.

"Her reaction time, stamina and healing time are all well above average." Owen continues.

"My healing isn't really, it's just the nano genes."

"And my reaction time and stamina really aren't that much above average."

Jack takes a closer look at the information. "You're right, they aren't too far above average, at least not in the future." Jack remarks as he eyes her with suspicion.

"Yeah, well you know, with The Doc you go to all kinds of places and it helps to be fast and be able to run." Jestine replies hoping to distract Jack.

"Ok, what else do you have?"

"No diseases, but I can't tell you anything else without blood work."

"Ok then, that part is done, now the interrogation time."

"Whoa, what fun." Jestine mutters.

"Ianto can you bring in the lie detector?" Jack orders, hoping to instil some fear into Jestine. But all he got was a grin in return.

"Is that really necessary Jack?" Tosh asks.

"Yes, we need to know everything."

"But she has told us the truth about everything else." Gwen argues.

"Don't worry about it Gwen, if Jack needs reassurance than I am willing to give him that, he is just making sure that I am safe to trust, he is doing it for you all." Jestine sooths.

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Ianto comes back in the room with the lie machine, setting it up.

"I'm guessing that you know how this works." Jack looks at Jestine.

"Yeah, been hooked up to a few in my time." Jestine replies, looking not at all phased by the machine.

"Ok, start with the basic questions." Jack starts.

"What is your name?"

"Really, starting with basic ones?" Jestine chuckles. "Look, Jestine has been my name for the longest of any of the names I have used, so I guess it would be Jestine."

The light turns green.

"Why are you here?"

"To know Torchwood and its agents." Green light.

"Why?"

"I need to know you all to know myself." Green light.

"What the fuck dose that mean?" Owen asks.

"It means that you are apart of my past and I am apart of Torchwood's future." Green light.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I need to know you all, before its too late." Jestine yells, tears gathering in her eyes. Green light.

"What do you mean before it's too late?" Jack demands.

"I can't tell you, I really can't." Green light flashes.

"Jack, stop it, this isn't achieving anything." Ianto puts his hand on the man's shoulder, bringing him back into reality.

"Ok, un-strap her." Jack orders before leaving the room.

"You ok?" Gwen turns to look at Jestine.

"Fine, I'm fine, now could someone help me with all of this."

Ianto moves over to help the girl before leaving to find Jack.

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Ianto finds him pacing in his office.

"You ok?"

"I don't know what to do about her; she knows so much, I don't know how to deal with her." Jack admits.

"I know, but you need to not try and force her into answering anything, you know what it is like to keep secrets." Ianto sooths as he walks across to his Captain, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him in close.

"Do you think I should let her on the team? Am I really doing the right thing for her and the team, maybe I should just give her retcon and let her have a normal life, this can't be helpful for her."

"You know you can't do that." Ianto whispers. "She choose to join Torchwood, she knows what she is getting herself into."

"I guess so." Jack mutters into Ianto's shoulder.

"Come on, come with me when I get lunch for the team, I think we could do with a break."

Ianto grabs Jack's hand and leads him out to the main part of the Hub.

"We are going to grab lunch." Ianto announces to the team before leading Jack out of the Hub.

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it, please review, have fun**


	11. Chapter 11

**Short chapter this time, sorry but it just felt like the right point to finish, I was going to try and move on to Sleeper, but the characters had other ideas, I will eventually get to Sleeper as I will like the story to progress more than it seems to be at the moment, I will try and update again soon after this, but I do have assignments coming up and a placement to sort out, so I will try my best, but probably nothing till the weekend, thank you again to everyone who has reviewed/alerted/favourited, really makes my day, hope you enjoy this chapter, please R'n'R**

**Disclaimer: I'm just borrowing the Torchwood team, they all belong to RTD and BBC, I promise I will put them back where they belong, eventually**

Jack and Ianto walk hand in hand down along the Plass, just enjoying each others presence.

"You ok?" Ianto looks over to Jack, noticing the pain in his eyes.

Jack turns his head to look Ianto in the eye, just looking.

He sighs deeply, "I honestly haven't even thought about it, been too busy with everything else."

"If you ever need to talk, you know I'm here for you." Ianto stares deeply into Jack's eyes, filled with pain.

"I know, I just don't think I can tell anyone, it's just so much."

"I understand, if you don't want to talk about it you don't have to, I won't force you, but just know I am here for you."

"Thanks." Jack kisses Ianto lightly on the lips before continuing on their journey.

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While Jack and Ianto were out getting the team lunch, Owen had dragged Jestine back to the autopsy bay.

"We need to talk about your nightmares." Owen looks over at Jestine, amazed that she was surviving on the amount of sleep she was getting.

"No we don't." Jestine stares back defiantly.

"Look we want to help you, but we can't do that unless you tell us."

"I just can't, can we just leave it?"

"No, as your doctor I need to know what is happening so I can help you."

"I know you want to help me, I just can't share the dreams, they are too much."

"I know they can seem scary but once you have shared them, they won't be as bad." Owen says without realising how much it sounded like he was talking to a five year old.

"Don't patronise me." Jestine glares at Owen. "These aren't simply a child dreaming of a monster hiding under their bed, these are my life, what I have been through. And it is too much for you, some of it would scare even Jack."

"And you don't think I know what you have been through, that I have never seen things that give me nightmares, or any of the rest of the team." Owen shouts, feed up with her stopping him from helping her.

"I know what you and the team have all been through, and it would be enough to give any normal person nightmares. But the thing is I'm not a normal person, it takes more than an alien in my fiancés brain or my cyberwomen girlfriend trying to convert me to scare me." Jestine looks up at Owen.

"How did you know about that?" Owen peers at her suspiciously; there was nothing in any of the reports to suggest that Lisa had been known to any of them. And he knew there weren't files on Katie, he had personally taken care of it.

"Like I said, I know what you and the team have been through, and I know how much everything has hurt each and every single one of you, including Jack. This is why I can't tell any of you, you are all already dealing with enough, and my problems are a whole new level."

"You really think your pain is worse than ours?" Owen scowls at her, how dare she think she was in more pain than them.

"No, I know you lot are in more pain, I have learnt to deal with mine, at least consciously. Just the things I have seen are more intense than you lot have experienced. You have only known of this world for a few years, I have known my whole life, do you really think I haven't been exposed to more in that time?"

Owen just sits in silence, aware that she made a good point and there was no way to counter it.

"Look, this isn't some kind of competition to see who is more screwed up, I just need you to understand that a lot has happened to me that I would rather not talk about."

"Ok, here, take one an hour before bed and it should help you get to sleep and not have any nightmares. I just don't want you to use drugs as a permanent solution. You can come talk to me anytime and I'm sure the same goes for any of the others, just trust us." Owen looks at the girl, so together despite the past she hinted to.

"Thank you Owen, I do appreciate the effort that you are making, I just can't talk about it yet, maybe one day." Jestine smiles as she grabs the tablets and leaves the room.

Owen sighs once Jestine had left. Helping her was going to be more difficult than any of them had thought. He shudders at the thought of what had happened to her, all the stuff she had been through. Yet none of it showed on her face, she was always smiling and laughing. Had that just been a mask, used to get them to believe her. Owen's thoughts were interrupted by the call for lunch.

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The team sat around the boardroom enjoying their meal quietly.

"Owen, I want you to get Jestine something to help her sleep." Jack orders between mouthfuls of pizza.

"Already done." Jestine looks up.

"Good, have you discussed your nightmares in detail with him?"

"No, she refuses to say anything about them." Owen glares at her, still frustrated by her refusal to let him help.

Jack turns to look at Jestine. "Why don't you want to talk to Owen about your dreams?"

"For the same reason you won't tell anyone, speaking of them won't help anyone."

"It might, have you tried before?" Jack purposely avoids talking about his own nightmares.

"Yes, it doesn't work."

"Who did you talk to?"

"The Doc mostly, he is the only one who seems to be able to even remotely understand it all."

Ianto quirks his eyebrow. "So never a professional?"

"Once, didn't work though, just ended up having to wipe his memories, he got that traumatised."

"You didn't talk about it to some human psychologist, did you?" Jack asks, concerned if she had really exposed someone to her life.

"No, of course not, I'm not stupid, no I went to a Wetay, he was a specialist and was highly recommended, don't know why. He asked my to explain all the "traumatic" events that had happened to me in my life. He didn't even last to me explain what happened just before I was four."

"Really?" Jack asks, shocked, the Wetays were a race known for being able to handle all kinds of trauma, therefore making them perfect psychologist, even for the worst things people had seen, for one to be traumatised was something serious.

"How old were you at the time?" Gwen asks, her slice of pizza forgotten halfway up to her mouth, without even knowing how tough the Wetays were, she knew that this girl had been through a lot.

"About ten, I think, yeah would have been, just when I started really acting out. The new companion of The Doc thought I should see someone, didn't like that because of me she wasn't the centre of The Doc's attention." Jestine speaks, her words dripping with anger.

"You didn't like his companions?" Jack asks, curious as to how this would have affected a child, that much change couldn't have helped.

"Some were ok, just there were a few that tried to mother me, some tried to get The Doc to take me back "home" and some just wanted me gone, they thought I was getting in their way of snogging him. Although at least they were somewhat obvious, hated the ones who sucked up to me to get into his good books."

Jack is confused about the way she was explaining it, it sounded like The Doctor had had a lot of companions, but that didn't seem right. "How many did he have in the time you were with him?"

"Don't know, lost count, probably more than normal, if they didn't meet my standard he wouldn't keep them."

"Why?"

"I don't know, he just thought I was more important, which is stupid."

"How is that stupid?"

"Why should he have given up the chance to have company just because of some brat he had to look after?"

The team all look at Jestine, shocked about her statement, was that really what she felt about herself.

"Why would you call yourself that?" Gwen looks at her with pity.

"Please don't pity me Gwen. I know I was a brat, I did so much just to try and piss him off. I once slept with one of his friends partners, just to make him angry. Almost caused a massive war too. All cause I wanted to hurt him."

"Why?"

"Cause I was still blaming him for everything, for not being there to save my Tad, it's what he does, comes in and saves the world from aliens. But the one time they needed him, the one time my family needed him, he was no where to be seen." Jestine mutters angrily before storming out of the room. The rest of the team just sat in silence, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

**Hope you enjoyed it, will try and update soon, reviews make my hands type faster (hint, hint), just a little bit more information about Jestine, I am sorry if it is annoying anyone with not knowing much about her, there are just some things that I really would like to have revealed at a certain time, until then I will try and give some more information about her, till then have fun**


	12. Chapter 12

**New chapter finally, sorry it has taken so long, my internet has decided it doesn't want to work, which wouldn't be too bad normally, at least I would still be able to write, but no my laptop has decided that it's mission in life is to annoy me as much as possible by always being unresponsive when I open Microsoft word, anyway here is a new chapter, should have another up by mid week, but really don't know past that as things are going to be crazy for me, somehow I am going to have to do three projects by 3****rd of May and start my placement, something they only gave us details about on Wednesday and didn't give us all the information that we needed, we have three weeks for ten days, but I have pracs and stuff so I have no idea how I am going to fit it in, also mid semester exams are coming up, so basically things are going to be crazy. Sorry about the whinging, seems life is either empty or completely overflowing full. Ok, major Janto fluffiness in this chapter, I know they never said I love you to each other in the show and it did make the COE scene even more emotional, but the guys just made me write this and who am I to deny them, cause I do think it is adorable, more information about some of Jestine's adventures, they are terrible I will admit but I'm really not good at just making up stuff. Enough about me, I'm sure you are sick of me, please read and review, I promise if you do I won't talk so long (even though its writing), thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and/or alerted, you make me smile so much**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Torchwood, maybe if I do really well at uni my parents might get me them as a present, till then Torchwood belongs to RTD and BBC**

"Here, drink this, it will help you." Ianto murmurs to Jestine, having found her once again in the archives amongst the files of her Doctor.

Jestine doesn't even look up, just muttering thanks to the offered cup of tea.

"You want to talk about it?" Ianto breaks the silence from the seat he had pulled up so he was now sitting opposite to Jestine.

"No, no, I wish I hadn't said anything at all."

Silence encloses them, Ianto unsure what to say to the broken girl, Jestine lost in her thoughts.

"I'm not normally this bad." Jestine whispers, leaving Ianto confused about what she meant.

"I never get this upset about anything, I can control myself, at least normally." Jestine looks up, her eyes filled with sadness.

"You know its ok though." Ianto moves to rest his hand on her shoulder but as it makes contact she flinches.

"Hey, are you ok?" Ianto asks, concern for the girl clear in his eyes.

"Yeah, fine, just not really a touchy feely person." She attempts to smile, to convince him of such, but it just seemed hollow.

"What happened?" Ianto asks, his mind filled with terror over what this girl had suffered.

"Just stuff, please don't worry about me."

"I wouldn't worry if you would tell me, please?"

"I can't, I just can't, I understand that you all want to help but you can't."

"Ok, you obviously don't want to talk about the bad things, how about you tell me something good, surely you have one or two funny stories?"

"I guess so." Jestine smiles a little, thinking back over some of the stories she could tell him.

"Ok, how about I tell you the time that I almost got married to Mergiag."

"Is it funny?" Ianto asks, not sure what a Mergiag was.

"Well The Doc found it funny, but that was more cause he was glad for my smart arseness to get back at me and he knows I hate it when I have to ask him for help."

"Ok then, do tell." Ianto smiles, hoping to encourage her.

"Ok, so we were on the planet Orgon, meeting up with an old friend of The Doc." Jestine pauses, remembering just who they had been visiting. "So I was almost 10, The Doc was there to meet an old friend, but I really didn't want to. So I refuse to go. After a massive as argument he decided it was just easier to leave me behind. He did tell me in no circumstances was I to leave the TARDIS, he actually told her too."

"Her as in the ship?" Ianto inquires, remembering Jestine's earlier conservation with Jack about the ship.

"Yes, anyway, so he left but after a while I got bored and wanted to explore. So I got the TARDIS to let me out."

"Even though The Doctor told it not to?"

"First it's her and secondly she likes me better." Jestine grins.

"Ok." Ianto nods without actually understanding.

"So I went off to the city, wandering around. All going well until I happen to wander through to this really dodgy area. I walked into the bar. Some guys were playing cards, thought I would have some fun and join. What I didn't know was that they had mind blockers that actually bluffed for them. So I was lost. Of course just because I had lost all my money wasn't going to be enough for me to stop, so I bet myself."

"You what?" Ianto asks, shocked that anyone would do such a thing.

"Yeah I know, stupid, The Doc reckons it's because I never learnt when to back down. Anyway, so I had this really sweet hand and thought I had it in the bag. Turns out they had a better hand. I tried to get away but they were too quick for me."

"Then what happened?" Ianto asks, eager to know more.

"So they decided to sell me on, make a few bucks. Human girls were worth a bit there. So they sold me on to a Mergiag. We were at the alter about to be married when The Doc and his friend came and rescued me." Jestine finished.

"Ok, so you did that all when you were 10?" Ianto asks, surprised at the girls actions.

"Yeah, not one of the smartest things I had done, I just wanted to do something."

"So did you do many things like that?" Ianto began to wonder what her life had been like.

"Yeah, a little bit, it was worse when I was acting out."

"You want to talk about why?" Ianto asks, hoping she might share more.

"No, I've already said too much." Jestine looks away guiltily.

"Not really, we don't even know your real name."

"Doesn't mean anything, not many people do know my real name."

"Guess that makes it difficult when people try and find you." Ianto muses.

"Kinda the point." Jestine mutters.

"You don't want people to find you?" Ianto asks curiously, sure there were times when he would have loved to have run away and make it so no one would ever find him but to actually do it.

Jestine shrugs. "Makes it easier to escape and stay free."

"Escape from what?" Ianto asks, greatly concern about just what she might be escaping from.

"Kidnapping, law enforcement, people after revenge. That kind of thing." Jestine replies flippantly.

Ianto stares at her, amazed at the stuff she must have been through.

"Did that kind of thing happen often?" Ianto asks after a moment.

"Occasionally." Jestine shrugs, like being kidnapped and the target for revenge was an everyday thing that everyone went through.

Ianto shakes his head, this girl was just ridiculous.

"Is that what your nightmares are about?" Ianto hopes she might open up a little bit at least.

"Sometime, but most of the time they are about worse things." Jestine answers.

"What's worse than being kidnapped and being targeted?" Ianto asks astounded.

"There are many things worse than those out there." Jestine answers with experience well beyond her years. Ianto felt his heartbreak, thinking of how much this girl had suffer in her short life.

"If you want you can talk about it." Ianto offers, wanting to do something to help lighten the burden that she was carrying.

"No, I can't." Jestine turns away from him, unable to look him in the eye. "It doesn't matter anyway. Owen gave me some stuff that should fix it."

"If you are sure, but you should know you can talk to me, even if you want to retcon me after, anything that would help you." Ianto looks honestly at her, willing to do literally anything she needed.

"I know you would do anything for anyone, but I can't tell you, it doesn't matter if you remember or not, I would rather not take the risk."

"Ok, I understand, just if you ever change your mind just let me know."

"Yeah thanks."

"So anymore adventures to share?" Ianto is curious as to what else she had done with The Doctor.

"Well I could tell you about the time I almost killed the prince of Gorte."

"Really how did you do that?" Ianto looks alarmed.

"Hey it was an accident and I did apologise afterwards, now do you want me to tell you or not?"

Ianto nods his head eager to know more.

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The rest of the team silently finished their meal after Jestine's outburst.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Gwen wishes that she had known when to stop.

"It's not your fault, she has been through a lot, she will have trouble sharing, but we just need to be there as much as possible for her. Maybe she will be better when she gets proper sleep." Jack tries to calm the situation.

"You think she will tell us?" Tosh asks, sadden that this poor girl was so broken already and barely out of her childhood.

"I really don't know Tosh." Jack looks defeated, unsure how to help the newest member of his team.

"Look, once you are done go home, there doesn't look like there will be any rift activity tonight." Jack looks across at his team.

"You sure, wouldn't you like some time with Ianto?" Tosh asks.

"No, it's ok, for now you lot just go home, make up for the months I was gone."

The team eagerly hurry to leave, before some disaster calls them back.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack walked over to the nearest computer, checking for the heat signals for Jestine and Ianto.

Smiling he walks down to the archives. Maybe she was opening up to Ianto, he would be a good choice, they seemed particularly close.

Maybe that was because she now seemed to share most of Ianto's jobs, or maybe they shared the work because they got along so well.

Jack wasn't sure which it would be, but he was just glad that they both seemed to have someone to talk too. He had really missed Ianto during the year that never was and never wanted to be without him again.

Jack walks through the archives, walking towards where the heat signals had been. As he got nearer he could hear voices, Jestine was talking to Ianto. He came round the corner to where they were in time to hear Jestine finish her tale.

"And then I found out he was gay, I was so devastated, he was just so gorgeous."

"Who we talking about?" Jack asks as Ianto and Jestine start laughing.

"Oh, hey, just talking about the time I tried hooking up with John Barrowman." Jestine manages to speak before laughing again.

"I just don't get how you couldn't tell; it is so obvious if you see any of his interviews." Ianto squeezes out in between laughs.

"Really, you thought he was straight?" Jack laughs too, remembering an interview he had watched of the guy.

"I had never heard of him before, of course I didn't know he was gay, I just thought that was his personality."

"Wait, wouldn't his age have been a problem too?" Ianto asks.

"No, age is just another silly thing everyone gets caught up with."

"Do you think my age is a problem?" Jack looks over at Ianto, waiting for his answer.

"No, Cariad, nothing is a problem with you, you are perfect." Ianto replies as he walks over to Jack and cups his cheek.

"I love you so much, nothing could stop that." Ianto whispers as he leans in a kisses Jack lovingly on the lips. It takes Jack a second to realise what Ianto had said before he responded to the kiss.

"I love you too." Jack answers once they had broken the kiss. Foreheads touching, arms around each other, both men just stood there lost in the moment, lost in the feel of their lover.

Jestine just watches quietly for a moment, caught up in the love she had heard so many stories about, then slipped out, not wanting to invade the private moment any longer.

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Jestine smiled to herself as she moved through out the main area of the Hub, cleaning. She was pretty sure she had just witness the first time either of the men had said that they loved each other.

She had heard so many stories about the two men, about their love for each other and the last moments they shared with each other. But this was the first time she had seen without a doubt just how much they meant to each other.

She had never thought anyone could really love someone that much, she thought the stories had just been romanticised to make it more bittersweet.

But no it seemed the tales if anything didn't portray the feeling enough. This realisation just made her sadder in the knowledge of what was coming.

The scene she had witness also made her understand why he had done what did.

No wonder he was in such pain, she had always known that it had broken him, but she had never realised how much.

She realised she could no longer hate him for what he did, she just wished it hadn't happened. She just had no idea how she was going to be able to stand back and watch it happen.

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Sometime later the two men came back into the main part of the Hub, hand in hand, to find it spotless.

"Looks like she is trying to take over your job." Jack jokes as he looks around the place, not a single thing out of place.

"That's what I thought to begin with, but now I just think she has really excessive OCD."

Jack quirks an eyebrow, "And you don't?"

"Not as bad as her, you should have seen, when we had finished playing cards she had to make sure they were all facing the right way." Ianto chuckled, remembering that day.

"Then there is the way she lines everything up, she rearranged the cupboards because the handles weren't facing the right way. And she coloured coded them."

"Really, should we maybe have her assessed?" Jack does not see the humour in it that Ianto does.

"Don't worry about it, she is ok. Probably just a coping mechanism. And as far as I can tell none of it interferes with her work or life, so I think we should just leave it."

"Ok, if you think so, speaking of her, where is she?" Jack asks as he scans around the Hub, not seeing the girl anywhere.

Just as Jack had decided that Jestine must have left, he hears a squawk coming from Myfanwy's nest.

"Oh, yeah, she would be up with Myfanwy, she loves Jestine." Ianto smiles.

"Myfanwy loves anyone who feeds her chocolate." Jack sulks. Myfanwy was still a little wary of him after the way they had met.

"You stuck a giant needle in her, what do you expect." Ianto chuckles at Jack.

"Hey Jestine you want to come down there sometime, thought you could help me catch Jack up on what happened while he was gone." Ianto yells up at Jestine.

"I thought you would want to "catch up" with him alone." Jestine smirks as she climbs down from Myfanwy's nest.

Ianto rolls his eyes, "I was talking about work, you know, what we are meant to do around here, not just play with the pets."

"But where would the fun be in that." Jestine smiles.

"But seriously, I thought it could wait till tomorrow, give you two a chance to get to know each other again."

"I like that thought." Jack grins wolfishly, while grabbing Ianto.

"Does anyone around here do any work?" Ianto attempts to fake anger but couldn't with Jack wrapped around him.

"Ok then, work tomorrow." Ianto sighs, knowing that there is no way he will be able to argue with spending time with Jack.

"Ok, cool, see you two tomorrow then."

"You not coming home then?" Ianto asks, confused as to where she may be going.

"You really want me cramping your style, yeah, no, remember it's my night for rift watching."

"Don't worry about that, I can just have it transfer to my vortex manipulator, no need for anyone to be stuck here." Jack suggests.

"No really, I'm fine here, you two need time alone, you both have been through a lot and could do with some time alone together."

"No, look, I appreciate that you want us to have our privacy, but you still need to get some sleep, and I would like us to be there when you try the tablets."

"Anyway, we have our own room, so you won't be interfering." Jack looks at Jestine, daring her to be able to come up with an argument against that.

"Fine, if you are sure." Jestine looks between the two men, looking for any sign that they didn't want her around.

"We really don't mind, plus gives us a chance to get to know you more too, we hardly know anything about you." Ianto encourages.

"Ok, I will come home, but weevil alerts I take, you two are going to be last on call." Jestine orders.

"Aren't I in charge?" Jack asks as the two move to grab coats and jackets.

"No, you just thought you were, Ianto has been in charge for like ever." Jestine grins.

**Hope you enjoyed it, the next one should be up soonish, please review and tell me what you think, have fun**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry about this chapter taking so long, like I said in the previous chapter, things are crazy, was planning on having it done last night but was so tired that I went to sleep at ten, haven't gone to bed that early for so long. Warning, this chapter does contain swearing and sexual content. ****The psychic thing is completely made up as I don't believe anyone can be psychic, but I would imagine that if people were they would have different methods of receiving information as I do think it would be like the different learning methods, there is some more information about Jestine, although there will be more in the next chapter, thank you once again to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting and favouriting, makes my day.**

**Disclaimer: Why does every one keep telling me I don't own Torchwood and that they belong to RTD and BBC, the voices keep telling me I do, oh wait, that's just my voice saying that**

Jack looks over at Ianto as he watches him drive. He had sworn he was never going to love again, not after everything.

Yet somehow this quite Welshman had stolen his heart.

Jack sighs deeply, knowing that his time with this man was so limited, the dangers of their job claiming all but him. It just wasn't fair, why would he always lose those that he loved.

Jack blinks as he feels a tear forming, now was not the time to get emotional, now was the time to appreciate what he had, and leave the rest till that fateful day comes.

He reaches out to rest his hand on Ianto's leg, to reassure him that his lover was still with him, that he still had time.

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Ianto glanced over at Jack as he drove. Still unable to believe that they had both shared their feelings for one another.

He chuckles slightly at remembering how they had got here. He had only wanted to work for Torchwood so he could save Lisa. He realised now that she had been long dead by that point.

But he was grateful at the time that he didn't. If he hadn't insisted on working for Torchwood he would have never had known the beautiful man next to him.

Although he knew he would never have all of Jack's heart, the knowledge that Jack loved him overwhelmed him.

Never had he thought he would be so happy to have another man love him. He truly had never had any interest in another man. It was only Jack.

He smiles as he feels Jack's hand on his leg, loving the warmth that was seeping through his leg from the hand. God, he loved Jack so much, more that he ever thought possible, even more that he had loved Lisa.

His thoughts are broken as he realizes they were now outside his flat.

"We're home." Ianto breaks the occupants of the SUV from their musings or so he thought when he realised that Jestine was just staring out the window, her mp3 probably on too loud again.

"Jestine, we are home." Ianto yells as he opens the door, causing her to fall out of the car, something that would not have happened had she been wearing her seatbelt.

"Do you have to do that every time?" Jestine glares as she picks herself up and dusts imaginary dirt from her clothes.

"Yes, had you been wearing your seatbelt you wouldn't have fallen out and if you had your mp3 on a reasonable level you would have heard me, you should have learnt by now." Ianto scowls her.

Jack smirks at the exchange, Ianto would have been such a great father, he sighs. It was all because of him that Ianto would never have a normal life. He should have just said no when Ianto had asked for the job.

"Come on Jack, let's go in and leave her to sulk here." Ianto breaks Jack from his thoughts. Jack glances between the two before following Ianto to the flat. He notices Jestine follows not far behind, although still moping.

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You two deal with that often?" Jack asks, confused by the little display between Ianto and Jestine. At the Hub they seemed like friends but suddenly they had seemed more like father and daughter.

"Only when she won't listen to me." Ianto answers while opening the door.

"Only cause he is so bossy." Jestine grumbles before heading to her room.

Jack turns to Ianto in surprise.

"Yeah, I know, she is a little all over the place." Ianto smiles in despite of himself, at least she sometimes acted her age.

"How do you deal with it?" Jack ask, glad he didn't have to deal with it much.

"She isn't too bad, just sometimes she needs to be reminded of how things work around here, that doctor of hers really spoilt her, letting her do anything she wanted, she just needs to be reminded that there are rules."

Jack smiles, remembering just what The Doctor was like, never one for rules, the only ones he had were relative to time travel, other than that he had no discipline. No wonder Jestine was causing trouble for Ianto.

"How bad is she?" Jack asks, not sure if he wants to know, he remembers what teenagers are like and knew that was not good for someone like Ianto.

"Not too bad, just little things like putting her feet up on furniture and having her music way too loud. And her room." Ianto sighs.

"But I thought she was OCD?" Jack is now completely confused by this girl.

"Yeah, well that doesn't seem to extend to her living area, don't even think about going up there, it would be enough to give you a heart attack."

"Really?"

"Yeah, no idea how she managed it but within a week of her moving her, her stuff was all over her room, but she never seems to have a problem finding anything." Ianto musses.

"Jestine, get down here, your shoes do not belong in the door way." Ianto yells up at the closed door.

"When I was with The Doc, he let me leave my shoes where ever." Jestine wines as she moves her shoes.

"Why aren't your shoes on your feet?" Jack asks, having enough of Jestine's weird behaviour.

"She doesn't like wearing shoes, The Doctor basically had her running around wild." Ianto sighs, not wishing to get into another argument.

He liked Jestine, she was great company for him, especially when Jack was gone, she seemed to get him.

He just didn't understand her. She was truly worse than Jack.

She always made sure everything was tidy besides when it came to her room. And the fact she couldn't keep her shoes on for more than a few minutes. How could one person be such an enigma?

He couldn't help but wonder if it was all a by product of her upbringing. Her life certainly had not been stabled, he could tell that much from her stories, it must be too much to expect her personality to be consistent if her life hadn't been.

"I'm going to order out for tea later, what you want?" Ianto asks against the bedroom door.

"Don't bother, I'm not that hungry." Jestine yells back, obviously with her headphones back on way too loud.

"You're going to go deaf, you do know that." Ianto mutters, before moving back to the lounge room to Jack.

"How have you not gone crazy with her?" Jack asks as Ianto curls up against him on the couch.

"I really have no idea." Ianto chuckles.

"How about we skip dinner and I just eat you instead." Jack kisses Ianto lightly on the neck.

"As good as that sounds, I will need something to eat."

"You can eat me." Jack suggest, nipping at Ianto's earlobe.

"I meant food." Ianto tries to resist the onslaught.

"Really, you sure, I think I will taste better." Jack lightly sucks on Ianto's Adam's apple.

"Jack, please stop, Jestine is in the next room, she could come through any moment."

"We could always move the location then." Jack quirks an eyebrow.

Ianto knew he stood no chance of stopping Jack, not that that was a bad thing. So he let himself be pulled towards the room.

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Jack's mouth attacks his throat as strong hands pull off his clothing.

Jack pushes Ianto down onto the bed, taking a moment to see the man in front of him, his eyes devouring the sight. Ianto spread out on the bed, dishevelled and cock standing proudly to attention. Jack grins at the sight before disrobing himself

His, all his, Jack thinks to himself as he attacks Ianto's throat, earning a moan of pleasure, sending pleasure through his body and to his cock.

"I love you so so much." Jack whispers just before he captures Ianto's mouth once again.

"I love you too Cariad." Ianto replies once they broke for air.

Jack's hands slowly wind their way down Ianto's body, loving the feel of his lover's velvet skin under his rough hands.

"Oh Jack." Ianto moans at the contact, his breathing becoming fast and shallow as Jack's hands found their way to his groin.

Jack fingers the quivering flesh in his hands, in awe of his lover.

"I love you." Jack chants as he grasps Ianto's manhood and begins to pump.

"I love you too." Ianto manages to gasps, Jack's talented hands making him writhe in moments.

Ianto loudly shouts his lovers name as he comes, his eyes rolled back till he could see only stars.

As he comes down from his climax, Ianto realises that Jack's penis was weeping heavily.

He shuffles down so his head is resting on Jack's thigh and begins to lightly stroke Jack's cock, causing the older man to shiver with pleasure.

"Please Ianto, need you."

Ianto needs no other invitation before deep throating Jack in one shot, relaxing his throat.

"Fuck." Jack pants as the warmth of Ianto's mouth surrounds his dick.

Ianto chuckles, sending vibrations along Jack's cock, causing him to moan loudly.

He slowly beings to suck, while moving his fingers to Jack's mouth, who willingly sucked on them, until they were moist enough.

While sucking harder, Ianto moves his fingers between Jack's legs, closing in on the tight ring.

He circles it, causing Jack to quiver in anticipation. Suddenly he penetrates, causing Jack to let out a yelp, mixed with pain and pleasure.

He moves his finger in and out, brushing against Jack's prostrate. Ianto could feel Jack's cock swelling. He joins his first finger with another, increasing the intensity, moving to bring Jack over, calling out his name.

Ianto sucks up every bit of cum from Jack, enjoying the bitterness on his tongue, having missed it for so long.

After making sure he had caught every last drop, he moved back up to meet Jack's lips once more. Both men push all their emotions into the kiss, both so amazed by the other.

"I really love you so much." Jack mummers as he pulls Ianto into his arms so the Welshman was half lying on top of him.

"I will never get sick of hearing that." Ianto chuckles, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Sleep now, we will clean up the mess later." Jack hums into Ianto's hair, smelling his unique smell, one that could never compare.

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Once Jestine was sure Jack and Ianto were occupied with each other, she took out her phone and pressed one on the speed dial.

"Come on, come on, pick up." She mutters as she listens to the dial tones.

"Hello, Doctor speaking." A cheery voice answers.

"Thank God." Jestine sighs, glad that for once The Doc had managed to have his phone on him.

"Jestine?" The Doc asks, unsure as to why she would be calling.

"Hey, hope I'm not interrupting anything, I just really need to talk to you, I screwed up, really bad."

"No, what did you do?" The Doc asks sympathetically, knowing this was always going to be a hard task for her.

"We were just eating and they were asking me things, which was fine, then we started talking about your companions and Jack mentioned that it seemed that you had had a lot so I told him it was because of me and that I didn't know why you put up with a brat like me when you could have proper company."

"No, we have been through this, you aren't and never were a brat, you need to believe me, you are a good person, so many people are alive because of you." The Doctor interrupted her, wishing she would listen to him for once.

Jestine sighs, she should have known that The Doc would just try and make her feel better. "Yeah, ok, whatever, anyway they wanted to know why I acted out." Jestine pauses for breath, worried she had let him down.

"And?"

"I told them it was because I hated you for not saving my Tad. Oh my god, I just don't know what is wrong with me. I'm trying to not tell them anything, but I just don't know what happens, it's like they can get anything out of me."

"Don't worry, just calm down, it is not that bad, you really didn't tell them too much, so you revealed that your Tad died, it doesn't tell them much."

"Yeah it does, it tells them tons."

"No, they would have already have assumed that it was you Tad that died, and they probably would have guessed at your Welsh heritage sooner or later, the Welsh is really showing through in your voice again."

"Yeah, I guess so." Jestine mutters, not sure if it really was no big deal.

"Look, you need to start trusting yourself, you can do this, I believe in you. You have face far worse without battering an eyelid." The Doc tries to comfort her.

"I know, they just seem so much harder to face, I'm so scared that one look from them and I will be telling them everything."

"You won't, you think I would have let you go if I didn't think you could do it?"

"No, I guess not, it's just not as easy as I thought it would be, they are becoming so real to me, not just characters from stories. I don't know if I will be able to handle losing them.

"I know it can be difficult being around people when you know what is going to happen to them, but you need to do this and it will all work out, I promise you."

"I just didn't realise how hard it was going to be, god I miss you, you always knew how to calm me down."

"Nah, defiantly the TARDIS there."

Jestine smiles at the mention of the ship. "How is she, I miss her too."

"She is ok, a little more temperamental, I think she misses you too." The Doc smiles, although it was his ship, Jestine and the TARDIS did have a very special bond.

"Tell her I miss her." Jestine smiles, knowing that there was always one place she could call home, even if it was a little hard to keep track of at times.

"I will, you ok now?"

"Yeah, I'm ok now, thanks, I have no idea where I would be with out you."

"Probably in a normal family." The Doc sighs, knowing that her life would have been so different had it not been for him.

"Don't do that to yourself Doc, I know you won't tell me why, but there was a reason why you did what you did. Don't beat yourself up, just because once you weren't there."

"Ok, right, so anything else to report?"

"No, nothing important, just Ianto is on my case again about my room and everything, he doesn't think much of you, letting a child run around without shoes off and doing whatever they want." Jestine chuckles.

"Yes, not something unbelievable, heard enough stories about him to wonder how he would handle you."

"What do you mean, handle me, I can handle myself."

"I meant, I was wondering how he would be able to deal with your untidiness and little quirks."

"Hey, I'm not untidy, your kitchen cupboards are proof of that."

"But the floor of your room says other wise." The Doc smiles, glad that he had distracted her for a little.

He did trust her to do this, it was something that was needed for everyone, if only she realised just how important her role was.

He did regret that he was keeping things from her, but it was the way that things needed to be done.

"Look, if that was all I might finish now, going to Moriaton."

"Ok, yeah, that's it, have fun and say hi to Nathaniel for me, see you, have fun." Jestine smiles as she hangs up, The Doc always knew how to make her feel better.

Sighing she wonders what to do now, she thought it was probably too early to have the tablets.

Glancing at the clock she realised that it was nearly tea time and although she wasn't hungry, judging by the noises coming from Ianto's room, both men would be ravenous when they emerge.

She grabs her coat, leaving to grab some food.

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Rousing from his sleep, Jack's nostrils are assaulted with the smell of Chinese. Puzzled he turns over to see an only partially awoken Ianto.

"Who got food?" Jack asks, stretching.

"That would be Jestine, always seems to know the right time to get food." Ianto answers while searching for his clothes. Having located both his and Jack's clothes, Ianto throws Jack's at him, while pulling his back on.

"Do we have to?" Jack wishes to just stay in bed, enjoying time with his Welshman.

"Do you want to eat?"

Jack pouts as he pulls on his own clothing.

"Hey, I was just about to see if you two were awake." Jestine cheerfully greets them while unpacking containers.

"Jack can you grab some plates while I make coffee?" Ianto asks.

"We don't need plates."

"Yes, Jack we do, I am not cleaning up after you because you didn't use a plate."

"Ianto just sit down, I will get the coffee and plates." Jestine interrupts.

"No, its ok, you already got the food, it's the least I can do."

"It was nothing, I didn't have anything to do, we were low on food anyway and I knew you two would be hungry when you were done."

Ianto blushes at the last comment. "You, you heard us?"

"Don't worry about it, you really need to loosen up." Jestine chuckles as she makes her way to the kitchen.

"I told you we shouldn't have." Ianto glares at Jack. "Wait for the plates would you." He adds as Jack aims to grab a piece of chicken, dropping sauce everywhere.

"Jack" Ianto yells as the Captain has the decency to look guilty.

"Don't worry about it Ianto." Jestine comforts as she comes back into the room with coffee, plates and paper towel.

"Look, there, you can't even tell Jack was there." She smiles after wiping away the mess.

"Yeah, relax Ianto, stressing isn't good for you." Jack adds with his mouthful.

"Ok, tea is served." Jestine stops either from being able to say anything else.

"So what did you do in the time you were here before you joined Torchwood?" Jack asks Jestine.

"Just an eye on the team."

"That all?" Jack quirks an eyebrow.

"Well, no of course not, but that was the only significant thing." Jestine rolls her eyes.

"Well I'm sure the population of Cardiff would be very disappointed to know that you don't think they are significant." Jack chuckles.

"Jack." Ianto chokes on his food.

"What?" Jack asks, feigning innocence.

"Not appropriate dinner table conservation." Ianto glares at Jack, as Jestine just chuckles.

"So what have you two got planned for the night?" Jestine enquires.

"If you say it, you won't get it." Ianto cuts Jack off, causing him to pout.

"Probably just curled up on the couch watching a movie." Ianto answers Jestine's question. "You got any plans?"

"No, thought I would try the medicine that Owen gave me."

"Good, wouldn't want you trying it when we aren't here."

"When did you turn into such a parent?" Jack chuckles, loving the tenderness Ianto was showing.

"Since I started work at Torchwood, picking up all your crap and making sure you always got where you needed to be." Ianto teases.

"It's not all me." Jack pouts.

"No, just most of it." Ianto laughs, enjoying the light banter.

"You two ready for dessert?" Jestine asks, noticing the main meal had been finished.

"And I mean food." She looks at Jack sternly, daring him to make a comment.

"What's for dessert?" Ianto asks as he moves to collect the dishes.

"Ianto, leave them." Jestine turns her glare to the Welshman.

"Just going to help you." Ianto mutters before sitting back down.

"Well you are not going anywhere, tonight is your night off, and we are having cheesecake." Jestine answers walking into the kitchen with all the plates and containers.

"Is she always this bossy?" Jack asks, unbalanced by the mood change in the girl.

"Sometimes, she always makes sure that we have enough proper food and that we don't stay at the Hub too long. She made sure she had the night shift most nights." Ianto sighs, realising just why she had done that.

"No wonder though, the night offs must have been torture for her."

"Don't beat yourself up, you didn't realise, she was obviously didn't want you to know." Jack tries to comfort Ianto, knowing he took everything to heart.

"I know, just I accused you all of not caring because you never asked how I was, when I never asked her." Ianto looks dejected.

"Hey don't you dare say you weren't caring." Jestine comes in carrying the cheesecake.

"You let me into your home when you didn't even know me. And I don't need anyone to look after me, I am more than capable of that."

"You saved my life, how could I not?"

"I have saved a lot of people's lives, I was just doing what I do when I saved you, it was no big deal." Jestine shrugs.

"It is never no big deal." Jack replies.

"It is when you know you are saving every one but those who matter most." Jestine mutters sadly.

"You said it's still to come, didn't you?" Ianto looks to Jestine to clarify.

"No, I can't do that."

"What?" Jack asks, sure he had missed something in the conservation.

"How did you do that?" Ianto looks surprised.

"Physic, remember."

"Ok."

"It's ok, I will try my best not to read your mind." Jestine doesn't need to be physic to know that Ianto was uncomfortable about someone reading his mind, not that she blamed him.

"Haven't you learnt how to control it yet?" Jack asks, wondering why The Doctor had not taught her how to block others out.

"I have, but when people have the level of physic power that Ianto has it can be difficult to block them, especially when their emotions are strong."

"I'm not physic." Ianto frowns.

"You are, there are few people that I have met that have a stronger mind." Jestine's voice seemed to contain awe.

Ianto laughs, "I'm sure I would know if I were physic."

"You probably aren't aware of it, but you are very physic."

"It's true." Jack adds, causing Ianto to stare at him.

"What, how would you know?"

"Torchwood One test results, you showed a well above average result."

"How would I not have noticed?"

"Because it was such apart of you, you probably haven't thought it to be something others can't do. And because you haven't had any training it probably isn't as noticeable."

"Still I think I would have noticed." Ianto is still not convinced.

"Have you ever just known when someone needed something, without them telling you?"

"Maybe." Ianto mutters, not sure he wants to admit that he may be physic.

"Ever got random pictures, thoughts or words in your head, especially in crowded areas?"

"Yeah." Ianto admits defeat.

"Hey, it's ok, a lot of people of this time have no idea that they are physic, when untrained it can be near impossible to know about. Also people receive the messages differently so it can be difficult to realise."

"So I'm physic and didn't even know."

"Yeah, you would be surprised by how many are like that, even up to the 40th century."

"So how does this work?" Ianto asks, curious about what he could actually do.

"It changes from person to person, how about after dessert we try and see what you can do?" Jestine smiles, excited to be able to help Ianto learn something about himself.

"Ok." Ianto was still unsure about the conservation, how could he not know he was physic.

"Really Ianto, don't worry about it, before you know it you are going to be a complete pro."

The rest of the meal is eaten in relative silence, each mulling over the previous conservation.

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"Thanks for a great meal." Jack smiles as he finishes his cake.

"Wasn't me, didn't cook a single thing, I think if you did then you wouldn't be thanking me." Jestine laughs a little.

"That bad?"

"I once burnt tin spaghetti in the microwave."

"Is that possible?" Ianto asks surprised.

"Apparently so."

"So what was Ianto thinking before?" Jack asks, realising he still did not know what had happened in the conversation.

"He was just wondering why I couldn't go to the time my Tad died and stop it happening." Jestine replies sadly, it was the one thing she wanted to do more than anything but couldn't. The fact that Ianto was the one who suggested it hurt that much more.

Jack nods in knowledge of the pain that must be going on in Jestine.

"So why can't you?" Ianto asks.

"Paradox. Had my Tad survived everything would have been differently."

Ianto just nods, only half understanding.

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"I think it is time for some psychic training." Jestine smiles once they had cleaned up.

"You sure about this?" Ianto enquires, still needing some convincing.

"Positive, you are as psychic as they come."

"So how do we go about this?"

"Ok, so basically there are different types of psychic. People tend to get the information in different forms, you can train to get it in other forms but there will be one you are natural with, so we are just going to try and find that out first."

"Ok, how do we do that?"

"I am going to open my mind and think a picture first, see if you can get that, don't worry if it seems like you aren't getting anything, it could just mean that you don't get it through pictures."

"Ok, so I just stand here and get the image?" Ianto was already confused.

"If only it were that simple, no you have to try and imagine that you can see what I am thinking, it is a difficult thing to do, but I am guessing you will be able to get something."

"Ok, ready when you are."

"Ok, tell me what you see."

Ianto concentrated hard, imagining he could see in her mind.

"Whoa." Ianto jumps in the arm chair he was sitting in, startled at the picture he had seen.

"What did you see?" Jestine whispers, aware in this state Ianto could be highly sensitive to sound.

"Just a circle."

"Good, that is all you need to see, is it clear?"

"A little, changes focus."

"Ok, good, I will try something more complex, see how you go."

"Now what do you see?"

"A police box, you know the old blue ones."

Jestine breaks into a wide grin, "That is the TARDIS, how clear is it?"

"Not very, its quite bleary, more so than the circle was, does that mean anything?"

"I can't tell you for sure, but I think that means that picture isn't your natural media."

"Next will be verbal, I will think of a word and you tell me if you hear it."

"I can hear something." Ianto exclaims.

"Good, what do you hear?"

"I'm not sure, it's muffled."

"Ok, just try and focus only on the sound."

"I've got it, you're saying my name." Ianto seems a little surprised as her choice of words.

"It works better when it's something that is familiar, but I again don't think this is the right one for you."

"What's next then?" Ianto was starting to become a little dejected, seem like none of them suited him.

"You are doing really well, the level you are doing is still incredible, most people can't do that much without some training."

"Ok, we are going to test feel now."

"How does that work?"

"You are going to concentrate and see if you can feel anything touching you when nothing is."

"Ok." Ianto is completely confused about this one until he feels something taping his hand. Looking down he realises that nothing was.

"You feel that then?" Jestine smiles, never having met someone so perspective to so many physic methods.

"Yeah, kind of, it's really faint, like a light breeze."

"Ok, not your type either."

"Are you sure I do have a type."

"Positive, there is just one more, I think this would be the one, probably should have started with it."

"What one is it?"

"Emotion, most people with physic abilities can feel emotions to some extend but it is the hardest media to improve in."

"Ok, ready when you are."

"Whoa." He suddenly is hit with a feeling of excitement, but not his own, feel it coming off Jestine like waves.

"What do you feel?"

"Excitement, but its really different from normal."

"That is because it is mine and I am 100% sure that emotion is your natural medium. I just want to try something else, are you ok with that, then I think we should call it a night."

"Ok." Ianto is filled with confidence, having realised he could actually be physic.

Suddenly he feels a need for coffee, it felt the same as the excitement, rolling off Jestine.

"Coffee."

"Wow, yes, wow." Jestine was filled with surprise and awe, both of which Ianto could now feel.

"Is that good?"

"Yes, that is great, most people can feel basic emotion but to get the need for coffee is remarkable. Normally it would just be thirst, but that specific, it shows this is your medium."

"Is that good?"

"It can be, but it can also be very bad, especially when it is that strong. You have probably unconsciously absorbing other people's emotions for years."

Jack sighed, he had hoped that that was the one that Ianto didn't have but he had had a feeling that that was going to be the one. Ianto had already shown so many characteristics of it, how could he had missed it.

"You couldn't have known Jack, you know as well as I do that when you are blocking your own thoughts it is a lot harder to detect others, especially when you don't know someone is physic."

"How did you know then?" Jack asks bitterly, he had spent so much time with Ianto, had become close yet he couldn't even notice something as simple as that, but she had known him all of two months and knew.

"I am a lot stronger than you Jack, and have had more extensive training, also I knew that Ianto was psychic, I had been warned to not let my guard down."

"Jack don't feel bad, I didn't even know." Ianto reaches out to grab Jack's hand, recoils as waves of emotion overwhelm him.

"Shit." Jestine curses loudly. "I'm so sorry Ianto, I should have warned you, it is a lot stronger through physical contact, and if you have opened your mind it will all come, I need to teach you how to close your mind."

"There are different methods of doing this, I will teach you the one I know for now as it is pretty simple, should be enough that you aren't picking up everything. We will work on others later but I think you have had enough for now."

"Please, I would rather not have everyone's emotions flowing through me."

"Right, ok, it is simple. Just imagine that you have a wall around you, blocking the emotions, concentrate hard."

Ianto concentrates hard on a wall blocking emotions and feels a difference, things seemed quieter and less emotionally charged.

"Ok, so it is going to take a little to get use to, at the moment that won't stop all emotions, it will just stop your mind being over run by other people's thoughts and feelings and everything." Jestine smiles at Ianto, amazed at the progress he had made already.

"I think it is time for a rest." Jack stands up.

"Ok, you two go rest, I still have an hour after I take the tablet for them to work."

"Ok, just let us know if anything happens, otherwise see you tomorrow." Jack smiles at Jestine, glad she was able to help Ianto in a way he had failed him.

"It was nothing Jack, everything I did was from what you teach me." Jestine smiles back before leaving the room.

"Did you know her?" Ianto is confused as Jack seemed to have not recognised her before.

"No, but apparently I do in the future, now bed." Jack helps Ianto up, aware that Ianto is likely to be weak from the psychic work.

"You did well, you know that right." Jack smiles as he supports Ianto into the room.

"Not many people can register that much without any form of training."

"Thanks." Ianto smiles back, not too upset at having to lean on Jack, not when he got to be that close to the man.

"But why didn't you tell me about the results at Torchwood London?"

"I'm sorry, I just didn't get around to it. I was going to wait for you to settle down, then the glove got in the way and Gwen and then Lisa."

"And everything else just seemed to distract me from it. I am sorry I kept it from you."

"It's ok Jack, I don't think I would have believed you had you told me earlier." Ianto admits as Jack helps him to bed before joining him.

"I promise though I won't do it again." Jack breaths into Ianto's back.

"I know Cariad, good night."

"Night." Jack smiles against Ianto's back.

Both men fell asleep within minutes, lulled by the smell of their lover.

**Another chapter done, hope you enjoy it, I promise I will try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible, although it will be quite short as it will contain discussion of the dreams, so please feel free to skip it if you think it will be too much for you, I am not aiming to upset anyone, just trying to add to my story, please tell me what you think, have fun**


	14. Chapter 14

**I just want to say I am so so sorry for how long it has taken me to post this chapter, things have just been so busy lately, so many projects due, then I got sick so I was too tired to write anything, but I have finally managed to finish this, hope it is enough to make up for how long it took, I'm not sure when the next one will be done, sorry but I start my placement next week and that is going to be full on, no computer the whole day, I have no idea how I will survive, hope you enjoy this chapter, please let me know what you think. This is my first attempt at flashbacks, please tell me what you think. Flashbacks are in italics, present day is in normal font, some bits included aren't one hundred percent necessary for the plot, just thought they were too cute to leave out. I will warn there are mentions of drink spiking, sexual assault, violence, death and kidnapping, so if you don't want to read it, please feel free to skip this chapter, the last thing I want to do is to upset anyone. Thank you once again to everyone who has alerted/reviewed/favourited**

**Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to RTD and BBC, not that they deserve them**

The peaceful slumber of the two men was interrupted by a loud scream, full of fear.

Startled Jack looked at the clock, it was not even two hours after they had gotten to bed.

Realising what the noise was he ran out off the room, running towards Jestine's, Ianto right behind him.

Opening the door he saw the girl thrashing around in her bed, her face contorted with terror.

"What should we do?" Ianto asks, panic clear in his voice.

"I don't know." Jack admits as he rushes to her bedside.

Ianto quickly rushed to the kitchen and filled a glass with water, returning to the room and splashing it over Jestine. But this appeared to have no effect. Jack looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"It always seems to work in the movies." Ianto shrugs back.

"Wait a sec, remember last time." Jack exclaims.

"Yeah, she hit you, I don't think we want a repeat of that." Ianto answers back dryly.

"Not that bit." Jack shakes his head.

"She woke from the motion."

"Worth a shot."

Manoeuvring himself Jack stands so he rock Jestine gently, but also so she wouldn't hurt herself or him.

"Ok, on one."

Ianto nods, ready to help control Jestine.

"Three"

"Two"

"One"

They move in smooth motion, shaking her gently.

Jestine wakes suddenly with shock.

"Oh, no, they didn't work did they." Jestine sighs once she had realised what had happened.

"I'm really sorry." She looked as if she was about to cry.

"Hey, it isn't you fault." Ianto moves to comfort her, only to have her flinch as his hand makes contact with her shoulder.

"Hey, its ok, we won't hurt you." Jack sooths.

"I know, sorry, just bad habit."

She looks over to the clock, surprised by the time.

"I, I just slept for 45 minutes." She sounds startled.

"Sorry it didn't help." Ianto speaks sadly.

"No, I think it did, a little anyway, I don't ever remember sleeping for that long before a nightmare." Jestine seems to have perked up with that information.

"Ok, so at least we know it has some effect, I think we should get Owen to up the dose tomorrow, are you willing to give it another go tonight?" Jack looks over to Jestine, she seemed to have pulled herself back together quite quickly, although some of the fear was still held in her eyes.

"No, its ok, I think I got enough sleep, I should be fine. I'm sorry I interrupted your sleep." Jestine looks down ashamed.

"Don't worry about it." Ianto sooths.

"You two go back to bed, I will be fine."

"You sure?" Ianto doesn't seem convinced.

"No, Ianto, you try and get some more sleep, I will be in later." Jack turns to look at Jestine.

"You and I are going to talk, you don't need to give me details but you need to tell someone."

"Ok." Jestine sighs before giving in, she could never argue against Jack.

"Do you mind if I just get changed into some more clothes first?"

At that point Ianto realises that they were all in their pyjamas, which for him and Jack were just their boxers and for Jestine a t-shirt and a pair of underwear. Ianto blushed at the knowledge that he was basically naked with two other people who were in the same state of dress as them.

Jestine chuckles as Ianto flees the room embarrassed.

"Met you in the lounge room in five minutes." Jack orders, leaving Jestine to get changed.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Where would you like to start?" Jack asks, looking across at the girl, seeing just how young she was, she shouldn't be having such terrible dreams.

"I really don't know." She sighs knowing that as much as they wanted to help her it was unlikely that anything could help.

"How about you tell me when they started then?" Jack looks over at her kindly.

"I'm not sure, The Doc thinks I have always had them, I never slept well, even as a baby, he thinks I may have absorbed some from my surroundings."

Jack takes a moment to digest this information. He really hoped that The Doctor was wrong, the people she would have been exposed to would have given her terrible nightmares.

"So are those the ones that cause you to wake up in fright?"

"No, at least not most of the time, most of them are nothing." Jestine laughs coldly, causing Jack to shiver. How she could just brush them off.

"Ok, how about you tell me what the one you were having tonight was about?"

"No, I can't, spoilers." Jestine states simply. Jack raises an eyebrow at this statement, imploring her to explain.

"Since I have come here, every time I sleep, I always recall the moments before my Tad dies." Jestine looks down at the floor, her eyes threatening to well up. "The one that hurt the most."

"I'm sorry." Jack goes to squeeze her arm before remembering her earlier response to touch.

"I'm guessing though they aren't the only ones that haunt you."

"No, but they are the worse, the rest I can shake off in minutes, knowing that they have happened, but this, this is something still to come, yet I can't stop it."

"Why can't you stop it?"

"Because it has to happen, so many events rely on it happening the right way."

"Why are you here then, why would The Doctor put you through so much pain if it is for nothing?"

"It isn't for nothing. I'm here for me and for the team. We need to make sure that there is someone left to take care of Earth and its people, this is the best way of doing. The Doc knows what he is doing, I trust him, he wouldn't put me through this if he didn't think it was necessary."

"But surely there is a better way?"

"No, I choose to come when I did anyway, he did suggest that I wait till after, but I couldn't, I need to know them."

"Know who?" Jack gently pushes for more information.

"The ones that should have been my family, that should still be alive, the ones that I have to watch die, the ones I have to watch live an existence worse than death. I have to sit back and watch it all happen."

"And you know what, I'm glad I get this opportunity, that I finally know the people behind the stories, to be able to say that I know these remarkable people, who risk everything for this world, for the people who will be remembered till the end."

"You really have so much burdening you already." Jack sighs, well aware of the feeling, just wishing that she could have had some time before the world got to her.

"Not as much as you." Jestine wearily answers back, knowing just how heavy Jack's soul was, and how much heavier it was to become.

Jack chuckles. "I don't think it is a competition."

"No." Jestine smiles wearily.

"So you want to tell me anything about the rest of your nightmares, I'm guessing you would have more than just the ones about your Tad."

"I would rather not, but I'm guessing you aren't going to take no for an answer." Jestine admits defeat.

"No, please, it is to help you." Jack smiles at her.

"I know, I just forget how bad it can get."

"So sometimes it is better?"

"Well more now is worse than normal. When I'm with the TARDIS, she keeps me calm, she isn't able to stop them in total but she makes them better."

"Wow, I didn't know she could do that." Jack realised he really shouldn't be too surprised at The Doctor's ship, she was remarkable.

"Yeah, she is full of surprises isn't she?" Jestine smiles, remembering one of her oldest friends.

"You finished with the stalling techniques now?" Jack asks after a few minutes of silence.

Jestine looks at Jack with slight guilt. "Normally works for longer." She smirks.

"Not with me." Jack manages a laugh before encouraging the girl to share.

"Ok, I really don't think this can help but you want to know." Jestine sighs, unsure about where to start.

"Tell me the worse ones, other than the one involving your father." Jack prompts.

"They are bad, really bad."

"It's ok, I'm here for you, you can tell me anything." Jack reassures her.

"I know, ok, how about I show you then." Jestine opens her mind, letting Jack see her memories.

_A dark room comes into view._

_A girl is tied to a bed._

_A man comes into the room as she is stirring, he seems surprised that she would be awake._

_It takes a moment before she realises where she was. She struggles hard against the rope binding her._

"_Don't bother, it's too tight, I made sure."_

"_What do you want?" She spits out._

"_You." The man leers as he moves towards the bed and her._

"_Let me go now." She demands, struggling more against the binds._

"_Hmm, feisty, don't get that often, mostly they are still out at this point." The man licks his lips as he stands over her._

"_Get away you sick bastard." She spits at him._

"_Now that's not very nice, I think you need punishment." He smirks._

"_Get off me now." She bucks her hips, trying to knock him off balance._

"_Now now, that's no way to act, of you keep this up I will drug you again." The man threatens._

"_What have you done, you fucking prevent." She yells._

"_I think that's enough from you." The man glares at her before tying a gag around her mouth._

"_I don't know how you were able you were able to fight off the drugs so fast, even the Maisntens take a few hours and you clearly aren't Maisntern. Doesn't matter though, just means you get to feel everything I do to you." He smirks as he begins to move his hands up and down her body as if he owned it._

The vision fades and they are back in the room.

"Was that what happened to you?" Jack asks quietly, not wanting to startle Jestine.

She merely nods her head.

"Why wasn't it from your perspective?" Jack asks unable to understand why her memories were from a different perspective.

"That is how I view all of them, I just can't remember them from my perspective, The Doc thinks it's my way of distancing myself from the event." Jestine answers sadly.

"He went all the way didn't he?" Jack asks, not sure if he really wants to know the answer.

"Yes, he kept me for twelve hours, even though I was awake the drugs were still in my system, I couldn't get away."

"It's not your fault, he obviously was a sicko. Was that why you handcuffed that guy to the lamp post?"

"Amongst other reasons."

"So this is the one that has been waking you up the most?"

"No, I just thought maybe this would be the best one to show, it was bad but not as bad as some of the others." Jestine explains.

"Ok." Jack nods understanding her need to ease him in. He was just worried though, if this wasn't one she considered being too bad then what were the others like.

"Do you want to see more?" Jestine breaks Jack from his thoughts.

"Only if you feel up to it." Jack answers, wanting to know more but not wanting to push the girl too much.

_"__Welcome to Nerveton." A man exclaims stepping out of a blue police box._

_He was followed __by a brunette woman in her late twenties._

_Last out is a small girl of about four or five._

_"__Do you have to do that every time Doctor?" The woman rolls her eyes at the antics of the man and now giggling child._

_"__Where is your sense of adventure Misty?" The man laughs, picking the girl up and swinging her around._

_"__Lost it, been with you too long Doctor." Misty smirks._

_"You could always leave then. We wouldn't miss you." The little girl tells her as she is put down by The Doctor."_

"_You should be the one leaving you little brat. No one would ever miss you. Its no wonder your parents left you. I would have done the same if you were mine.." The women makes sure to whisper so The Doctor couldn't hear. Not that he would have noticed even if she had yelled, he was too busy checking the readings from his sonic screwdriver._

"_Cheanx" The young girl mutters under her breath._

"_What did you call me you little brat. You're a little freak, you know that, speaking in all your weird languages and it's only a matter of time before The Doctor realises that and dumps you. Then it'll just be me and him." The women grins as she imagines life without the little the girl that had be constantly getting in her way when it came to The Doctor._

_"So you ready for an adventure Rebecca?"__ The Doctor asks the little girl once he had finished analysing the results from his sonic screwdriver._

"Rebecca?" Jack interrupts the story.

"Yeah, I was going with Rebecca at that stage."

"And The Doctor went along with it?"

"Like he had a choice." Jestine laughs. "He understood why I was doing it."

"So you did that often?"

"Yes, it was easier, also people weren't as likely to try and abduct me when I was going by a different name, not that it stopped it totally." She adds sadly.

"Why were people trying to abduct you?" Jack asks, concerned about just what else she had been through.

"You know what it's like with The Doc, always someone trying to kidnap you." Jestine ends more flippantly than Jack thought one should when talking about being kidnapped.

"You ready for me to continue?" Jestine asks.

"Sure." Jack answers, moments after he was once again in Jestine's memories.

"_So you ready for an adventure Rebecca?"_

"_Where are we this time?" The girl asks as she looks around.._

"_Thought we would drop in on an old friend of mine__."_

"_It's not Jack again is it, he doesn't like me, he is mean." The girl pouts._

"Sorry, forgot about that bit." Jestine looks at Jack guilty.

"It's ok, what did I do?" Jack is curious about himself in the future, what had he done for the small girl to not like him.

"You know I can't tell you." Jestine chuckles. "Look, don't worry about it, you were pretty beat up at the time, it isn't anything for you to be worried about, it was a long time ago, I understand why you were like that."

"So I don't get any spoilers?" Jack pouts.

Jestine laughs again, "No, no spoilers for you."

"So back to the story?" Jestine quires, eager to get it over with.

"Whenever you are ready."

And Jestine's memories once again appear before Jack.

"_No, it isn't Jack. And he doesn't hate you, he is just upset at the moment, you know that."_

"_Still doesn't mean he has to be such a meanie." The girl whines._

"_Would you like to meet my other friend now though, he is really nice." The Doctor squats down to the girl's level._

"_You sure?"_

"_Yes, he is very nice, I promise." The Doctor smiles reassuringly._

"_Ok." The girl nods before holding her hand out to The Doctor._

_The scene skips ahead till to find them on the outskirts of a town._

"_How far till we get to your friends place?" Misty whines._

"_Just another five minutes." The Doctor answers._

"_Then can we get lollies?" Rebecca asks hopefully._

"_No. I am not dealing with you when you are hyperactive with sugar." Misty tells her._

"_Please?" Rebecca looks at The Doctor pleading._

"_No, don't look at me like that, Misty said no and it means no." The Doctor looks away from the girl trying to not get suckered into saying yes. She really was her father's daughter at times, getting people to say yes to anything._

_They continue on their journey silently, the girl sulking._

"_Here we are." The Doctor declares as they stop in front of a door, looking exactly like all the others._

"_How do you know?" Rebecca questions._

"_Cause I know everything." The Doctor laughs._

"_No you don't, only Ianto does, at least that's what Jack says."_

"_Um, well yes." The Doctor looks away uncomfortably._

"_How about we go in?" Misty interrupts the awkward moment._

"_I don't want to go in." Rebecca moves away from the door._

"_Why not?" Misty asks, annoyed that they had just walked all this way for the girl to be having a tantrum._

"_I don't like it in there, it feels bad." The girl looks scared._

"_No need to worry, I promise it is perfectly safe in there." The Doctor tries to sooth her._

"_You ok to go in?" He asks kindly, hoping that it wouldn't be too difficult to get her inside._

"_Ok." The girl answers reluctantly._

_The group enter the building with the girl standing behind the adults, almost like protection from some perceived danger._

"_Hello, anyone home?" The Doctor calls out as they move through the corridor._

"_Doctor, wasn't expecting you till tomorrow." A man steps out from one of the rooms._

"_I did say today didn't I?" The Doctor seems confused as to why no one ever expects him on time._

"_Exactly, that's why I expected you to turn up tomorrow, for someone with a Time Machine you have no sense of timing." The man laughs nervously._

"_So where's your little friend." He asks once he had finished laughing._

"_She's here, just a little scared." The Doctor indicates to the girl hiding behind him. "Come on Rebecca, come and shake David's hand."_

_The girl reluctantly moves forward to shake David's hand. But on point of contact she pulls away, eyes full of fear._

"_Rebecca, what's wrong?" Amy asks the girl as she buries herself in Amy's arms._

"_He, he is planning on capturing us, he has men waiting for us." The girl sobs into Amy._

"_Is this true?" The Doctor looks curtly at David._

"_I have no idea what you are talking about." David raises his hands pleading innocence._

"_Tell me the truth." The Doctor demands._

"_I am, come on, how long have you known me, would I ever do anything like that, she is probably just after some attention." David tries to plea with The Doctor._

"_I believe her, and know she would never lie for attention, what did you do?" The Doctor commands coldly._

"_Ok, ok, I had no choice." David admits with defeat._

"_What did you do?" The Doctor repeats._

"_They heard you were coming with her, they came round and demanded that I helped them or else."_

"_Or else what?"_

"_They would kill me." David's voice filled with fear._

"_So you would rather sacrifice a little girl?"_

"_It's not like that, they would have still taken her regardless of whether I agreed or not, this way at least I could live."_

_The Doctor just looks at David with disgust._

"_Ok, we need to leave now." He turns looking at Misty and Rebecca._

"_Too late, they are already outside." Rebecca sobs._

"_Who are they?" The Doctor looks at David._

"_They wouldn't tell me who they are." David pleas._

"_They're Wartons." Rebecca cowers at the knowledge. "They were watching, waiting for us."_

"_Ok, anyway out?" The Doctor again directs his question at his old friend, now betrayer._

"_No."_

"_He's telling the truth." Rebecca confirms._

_The Doctor pauses a moment trying to think of a way out._

"_Ok, Rebecca I want you to go to the TARDIS, do not leave, we will try and convince them that we don't have you."_

"_Maybe __we should just give her to them?" Misty suggests. "Maybe they will leave us alone?"_

"_No, they won't, they will kill us all and take her and show__ no mercy." The Doctor glares at her as the door burst open and they are swarmed by Wartons._

_The Doctor steps in the way of the Wartons, blocking them from the little girl._

"_Leave her alone." He demands._

"_Move out of the way Doctor." The front Warton tells him. "Or we will not hesitate to kill you._

"_Never." The Doctor tells them._

"_So be it." The Warton replies before shooting The Doctor with a beam._

_Rebecca screams as he crumbles to the floor, although he is still breathing._

_She turns to face the head Warton, glaring at him with an intensity beyond her years._

_Suddenly the Warton starts to scream in pain, collapsing to the ground, writhing in pain._

_The commotion of the room stops, everyone staring at the man in the middle of the room._

_Rebecca stop it now." The Doctor __weakly calls out._

"_Stop it, Rose, stop it." He shakes her, realising that she had become lost in the torture._

_She snaps out of it, the man lying deadly still._

"_He hurt you. He wanted to kill you." She tells him in tears._

"_I know, I know." The Doctor hugs her close, comforting the girl. "But it's ok, I'm ok, see, not dead."_

_He then turns to the Wartons._

"_Out, all of you out now." The Doctor orders to the remaining Wartons who had been staring at the body of their leader._

"_We want the girl." One demanded._

"_No, you will be getting no one, leave while you still can." The Doctor threatens._

"_We are under orders to bring the girl with us, now move before we shoot you again."_

"_No, you will not hurt any one else." The girl looks up from The Doctor's shoulder._

"_And what are you going to do about that, little girl." He sneers at her._

"_This." She simply answers._

_Before any of them have time to ask what she had planned a burning sensation filled their head, boiling them, causing them to scream out in pain._

"_Please stop this now." The Doctor pleas with the girl._

_She looks over at him and realises this was not the way to do it. The men suddenly drop to the ground, moaning in pain but still alive._

"_Now go and tell your boss that no one is taking Rose." The Doctor demands of the fallen aliens. They scramble to get as far away as possible from the girl._

"_I never want to hear from you again." The Doctor looks at David, cowering in a corner, more worried about his own safety than anyone else's._

_He picks up the girl, still so small that she could be carried. __He looks over to Misty who had been so willing to give up the small girl._

"_You are going back home Misty. I can't travel with you knowing you will happily give up a small child's life to save your own." He glares at her once before walking out the door, not looking back once._

The room fades back into focus as Jack finds himself back in the present.

Looking over he sees Jestine holding back tears.

"You ok?" He whispers, his mind filled with emotion over what he had just seen.

"Yeah, sorry, it was a tough and scary day for me at the time. The Doctor almost died because of me. He was always willing to give his life for mine." Jestine answers sadly.

"Thank you for showing me that." Jack slowly reaches across to stroke her arm, giving her plenty of time to pull away but she allows the contact with only a slight flinch.

"So what happened afterwards?"

"He sent Misty back home and then we continued on."

"Did he help you with what happened?"

"Yes, took me to you actually, got you to teach me how to control my mind, and everything."

"Ok," Jack nods. "So what's the bit about me saying Ianto knows everything?" Jack asks, curious about that mention.

Jestine looks away a moment, not sure how to explain it without giving away too much. "Occasionally when we saw you, you would tell stories about your time on earth and you mentioned once about Ianto knowing everything, it was just something I picked up on." Jestine mutters, not meeting Jack's eyes.

"What aren't you telling me?" Jack asks, aware of Jestine avoiding his eyes.

"I'm sorry but I can't give you the details, but you become quite broken up after Ianto's death, I'm sorry. You leave not long after he dies and I don't think you ever return." Jestine answers sadly.

"You don't think?" Jack raises an eyebrow, curious over her choice of words.

"The Doctor wouldn't tell me what happens to you, said it was spoilers, I think he always knew that I came here."

"Ok." Jack nods again, still digesting the fact that one day Ianto would die and he would leave everything behind.

"I'm sorry, I know you probably don't want to be reminded that Ianto will die one day." Jestine apologises.

"No, it's not your fault, it's just hard being reminded."

"The Doctor called you Rose at one stage, why?"

"Oh, yeah, that." Jestine looks around the room, trying to avoid the question.

"I have all the time in the world." Jack reminds her when she doesn't answer after a few minutes.

"I know." She sighs. "Rose is my real name, well one of them."

"Why?"

"My parents knew Rose Tyler, it was in her memory." Jestine answers, edgy about where this conservation was going.

"Ok and you didn't use that because it made you an easy target for kidnap attempts." Jack guesses.

"Yes and I never really felt like a Rose, it was more a way to tribute her than to name a child."

"Ok, so I guess you still want me to call you Jestine then, or do you want to try another name?"

"No, Jestine would do fine, but can you please not tell the others."

"Why, they don't know who Rose is, will it make a difference?"

"No, I just would rather they knew me as Jestine, that is more my name than Rose ever was.

"Ok, I promise not to tell the others."

"Thank you." Jestine sighs a breath of relief.

"Did you suffer many things like what you showed me?" Jack hopes the answer to be no.

"A bit, don't worry about me, it was just the way it was, most of them weren't too bad."

Jack sighs as he realises that she may be too hurt for them to be able to help.

"You were upset about The Doctor getting hurt." Jack comments.

"Yeah, I felt so bad that he got hurt because of me."

"It wasn't your fault, you didn't tell the Wartons to be there, you can't blame yourself every time something bad happens."

"I know, thanks, it just gets hard sometimes, knowing how many people have died because of me, directly or indirectly."

Jack is shocked that the poor girl was carrying around so much guilt.

"Anytime you want to talk, please just tell me." He offers. "Just can you tell me why you feel that you are responsible for other people's deaths?"

"So many people were tortured to find me, and others just caught in the crossfire of people trying to get me. Then there were the ones that were unlucky enough to get caught up in the adventure that was my life and got killed because of it."

"Hey, that is not your fault."

"I know, just some days it does feel like it." Jestine admits.

"Well you know that I'm here for you ok, and so is the rest of the team, so anytime you want to talk about anything just speak to one of us." Jack offers.

"Thank you." Jestine smiles honestly at him.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Glancing at the clock Jestine looks at Jack. "There's still a few more hours until it's time to get to the Hub, why don't you go back to bed."

"Are you are sure you are ok?" Jack looks across at Jestine, not wanting to leave if she still needed him.

"No, don't worry, I'm ok."

"You sure, I don't think you should be alone after all that." Jack argues, even though he loved to spend a few hours curled up with Ianto, being there for Jestine was more important.

"No, I'm will be fine, I will just watch some TV." Jestine smiles at Jack, trying to convince him to spend some time with Ianto.

"Ok, let me know if you need anything ok." Jack leaves her sitting on the couch and moves up to the bedroom.

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"How is she?" Ianto asks as he slips between the sheets.

"Hey, did you stay up waiting?" Jack asks, concerned that Ianto hadn't gotten any sleep.

"No, don't worry, I did get some sleep, woke up when you came in, is she ok?" Ianto repeats his question.

"I don't know, she seems to have it together, but she has been through so much. She was sexually assaulted, multiple times from what I can gather."

"Kidnappings were common and I wouldn't be surprised is she was in more than a few fights." Jack sighs sadly, the severity of the girl's life hitting him.

"She showed me The Doctor getting hurt, trying to stop some people from taking her. She blames herself for that and so many other deaths."

"What are we going to do?" Ianto asks, sadden by just how much she had been through in her short life and that was just what they knew about.

"I think we just need to be there for her when she needs us, I don't think there is much else we can do." Jack answers sadly as he curls up against Ianto, seeking the comfort of his warm body, hoping it could chase away some of the pain he was feeling over Jestine.

"Ok then, anything she needs we will give her." Ianto answers with his head on Jack's shoulder, breathing in the unique smell that was his lover.

"Yes, everything we can do we will do, now lets try and get some more sleep." Jack turns to kiss Ianto goodnight once again.

This time both men's sleep weren't interrupted until the beep of the alarm awoke them.

**So chapter fourteen is finally done, once again I apologise about how long it has taken, I will try my best to have the next chapter out soonish, but I cant make any promises, ok so a little more information about Jestine, just so no one gets confused she will be referred to as Jestine in all cases as it is easier, please tell me what you thought, until then have fun**


	15. Chapter 15

**I can not express how sorry I am for how long this has taken, things have just been so hectic at the moment, and then I got sick and was basically too tired to do anything, and then Jack and Ianto decided to highjack the chapter, so this is a M rated chapter cause Jack and Ianto just cant get enough of each other. Hopefully this chapter doesn't confuse you too much, it is a bit vague. The next chapter will have Jack and Ianto's date as well as the start of Sleeper if everything goes to plan**

**Thank you to everyone who had reviewed, alerted and favourited, you brighten my day**

**Disclaimer: You really think Ianto would have died without Jack telling him that he loved him if I owed Torchwood. Jack didn't say it, so obviously it belongs to BBC and RTD**

"Everyone, meeting in ten minutes." Jack calls out as Owen walks in, once again the last member to arrive.

"How did the tablets go?" Owen asks as Jestine passes him a mug.

"Helped a little." She beams back at him before moving off to the next job.

"Ianto, how did she really go?" Owen asks as the Welshman walks past, hands full with the files on the cases they had covered while Jack was away.

"Not well." Ianto answers, his face clouded with concerned. "She lasted no more than 45 minutes before she started yelling, although she says that is an improvement on the amount of sleep she normally gets."

"Fuck, you sure?" Owen asks in disbelief.

"Even with the worse cases she should have been knocked out for at least a few hours." Owen exclaims, his mind whirling at possibilities for that result.

"That's not the only problem, she shared some of her experiences with Jack. From what he told me I think we have a lot on our hands." Ianto sighs sadly.

Owen raises an eyebrow. "Really, what kind of things are we looking at?"

"Everything it seems. There was kidnap and sexual assault along with a lot of other things and from the sounds of it, it happened on multiple occasions." Ianto sighs again, realizing just how much the girl had seen in her short life.

"Fuck." Was all Owen can say in response.

"She also seems to have memories that aren't hers. She dreams of her father's death." Ianto adds, wishing that there wasn't any more to tell.

"How does that work?" Owen asks, perplexed at the idea of someone having memories that weren't there own, and concerned by the fact that Jestine was haunted by her father's death.

"Don't know, apparently it has something to do with her psychic ability." Ianto tries to fill in the blanks as much as he can.

"Fuck, no one should be haunted by anyone else's experiences." Owen mutters, his mind already trying to work out the best course of action to help the newest member of the team.

"Look, after this meeting I will have a look at her, see why the drugs didn't work properly. I just don't know how we are going to deal with the mental scars, not my area of expertise and sending her to any shrink would just end up with her locked up."

"I know." Ianto looks defeated. "I think our only option is to get her to open up to Jack, he might be able to understand some of it and help."

"Yeah, I think you are right. Of course I would rather send her to a professional, I really don't think this is an option for her. Even the most experience professionals aren't going to be able to help, not when they don't know what it is like. I just hope Jack would be enough for her." Owen sighs, wishing Jestine still held the innocence people her age still had, something that now seems to have left her long ago.

"I just wish there was more we could do for her, she is just too young for all this." Ianto exclaims.

"Aren't we all?" Owen mutters as he moves off to get prepared for the meeting.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Ok team, I need to know what has been happening in the last three months." Jack orders as the team sit down.

"There were a number of artefacts that the Rift spat out, but most have been identified as harmless." Ianto tells the group.

"Who identified them?" Jack never liked artefacts falling through the Rift as they were often difficult to identify, his knowledge of the universe too rusty to be much good.

"Most of them were already on our database so those were easy to identify. Jestine identify the rest." Ianto replies, looking through his notes.

"What did we have?" Jack turns to look at the newest member.

"Not much, like Ianto said most were identified as harmless. Had a Braianiam Frisbee, an Oractogia time piece and a Menster kite. There were a couple though that were of concern." Jestine answers.

"What?" Jack asks, worried what horror the Rift had spewed up now.

"A Whollaper ray gun, although I thought that would be good to get someone trained in. I put that in the secure archives until you came back, thought you would know what was best." Jack nods at this.

"There was also a Shiften detonator, although that was without the activation switch, but I thought to be on the safe side we would archive that in the secure archives again."

"So was that all?" Jack asks, relieved that neither of them were too bad, both were something he could handle.

"Well no, there was something else, but I got rid of it immediately." Jestine answers.

Jack raises his eyebrows, inviting Jestine to continue.

"It was a Calope transporter. It defiantly came through the Rift so I don't think we need to worry about an invasion, but I have let The Doc know and have been doing regular scans of the area where it was found." Jestine responds.

"Shit, you sure that it came through the Rift?" Jack asks, his face etched in worry.

"Positive, but precautious have been put in place just in case. Also The Doc seems certain that there is no invasion in this time period, but you know what he is like, he sometimes misses things."

"Wait, if it's a transporter isn't that good?" Gwen interrupts the conservation.

"No. It's not like Jack's vortex manipulator, which allows the wearer to travel through time and space. This can only be used by the Calope."

"They send out a small group to scout for new planets to take over. If the group decide that it is a viable planet they set up the transporters which allow whole armies of them to transport to the planet. They can destroy level 3 planets in a matter of days." Jestine explains.

"Level 3? What does that mean?" Ianto asks inquisitively.

"The levels are an indication of how advance the planet is. It is measured on a number of criteria."

"What's Earth then?" Tosh enquires.

"Level 5 at the moment." Jestine answers sadly.

"So if they came we wouldn't stand a chance?" Ianto asks what everyone was thinking.

"Yes, normally they don't tend to scout in the areas of Level 5 planets, they all tend to be quite isolated. But it has been known to happen. When it did the planets didn't even know that there Calope on the planet before they were taken over."

"Can't your Doctor fight them though?" Gwen asks.

"No, they won't listen to reason, and The Doc can't do anything about them yet."

"What do you mean, yet?" Jack quizzes with a raised eyebrow.

We don't deal with it until the 53rd century." Jestine responses.

"What, he took you with him when he faced them?" Jack raises his voice, livid at the thought of The Doctor bringing a child with him when he faced off against Calopes.

"He really didn't have much choice, there was no way I was going to let him go by himself. And I was not a child when we did that." Jestine glares at Jack.

"What about his companion at the time, and you are still a child now, so whenever it happened you were a child." Jack fumes back.

"He didn't have any companion at the time, his previous one had left only days before hand. And I am so not a child."

"I'm sorry that his companion left, but he should have kept you away from the danger, who knows what could have happened to you, he really should have taken more responsibility with you."

"Maybe if he had then you wouldn't be so traumatised that you can't even sleep for an hour without being interrupted by nightmares." Jack looks over at the girl who had seen too much in her young life, feeling overwhelmingly protective of her.

"It isn't his fault. I was never meant to have an easy life. And he needed me there with him. He needed to know someone was there to support him. He would never let anything happened to me." Jestine yells at Jack.

"That's not what I saw when you showed me your memories." Jack retorts back.

"None of those were his fault. Half the time from when I was 10 I was completely uncontrollable. He did what he could, but there were times where he just had to let me go off and find trouble."

"Still he could have been there for you when you needed him. And there wasn't a need to take you with him to deal with the Calopes, you could have been killed." Jack looks at her, eyes filled with worry.

"Well obviously he knew what he was doing cause I'm here now, so you can stop worrying." Jestine tries to pacify Jack.

"Ok, I guess so. But next time I see him I will give him a piece of my mind." Jack grumbles.

"Probably not a good idea. The next time you see The Doc he won't have done it yet."

"Really, you know when I will next see him?" Jack asks hopefully, causing the rest of the team's hearts to fall a little at the thought that he could be leaving them again.

"I do, and no I will not tell you. And don't worry he won't stay away long." Jestine addresses the last part to the team, hoping to convince them that Jack would be there for them, at least for a while.

"Fine." Jack pouts, causing Jestine and Ianto to both roll their eyes.

"Moving on, was there anything else you wanted sir?" Ianto tries to get back to business.

"Right." Jack clears his throat. "Any interactions with aliens other than the normal Weevils?"

"Not many." Jestine replies.

"You are kidding right?" Gwen sputters.

"What happened?" Jack asks, confused at the different responses.

"There were about five encounters with aliens other than Weevils." Jestine simply states.

"Two of those were blowfish, so nothing too big, just had to tell them to stop trading to humans, again." Jestine follows with an eye roll.

"Ok, so that's two of five, what were the others?"

"There was a case of some Meloptions lost, that was easy to fix, just give them directions to Lapturn."

"The other two?"

"Some Playtor to deal with, that one was nothing either, just had to convince them that Sol 3 was not an appropriate place for them to set up as a nursery for their offspring."

"Who?" Jack asks confused.

"Oh, yeah, you probably haven't heard of them, they tend to keep to themselves besides when they need a place for their offspring."

"How do you know them then?"

"Travelling with The Doc."

"He never told me about them." Jack sulks.

"He never told me about them either."

"Then how do you know about them?" Owen asks, hoping for a reason to tease Jack.

"Read about them in the library."

"Ok, will we have to deal with them again?" Jack turns back to the matter at hand.

"No, I just pointed them towards Hiprie, and told them clearly that Sol 3 was not a planet they were to go near for a couple more centuries."

"Good, I'm trusting you filed the information on the archive just in case."

"Yeah, along with useful phrases for if they come back."

"What do they speak?"

"Mainly Playtorian, although some do know SIGL, although it is better to try and use Playtorian if possible."

"Don't think I've heard that one before." Jack musses.

"Yeah, you probably haven't, not many people have. The Playtors tend to keep to themselves. Only a couple of civilisations ever leant it."

"Any I know?"

"Probably not, that whole section pretty much shunned the rest of the world." Jestine notes sadly.

"You spent sometime there?" Jack is curious about her reaction.

"Only to a planet near by and only once, it was too difficult to go there much, they didn't like outsiders. They almost executed The Doc because of that."

"Really, that's a bit extreme." Gwen looks shocked.

"How did he manage to get out of that one?" Jack chuckles, well aware of the trouble that The Doctor always managed to get himself into.

"He didn't, I had to try and negotiate. They are so tough to try and get to back down. Ended up having to give them 120 left shoes, all the cups in The TARDIS and promise we would never return."

The team all stare at her in confusion over such a request.

"They only have left feet, so the rights would have been no good to them. And they use cups as courting gift." Jestine explains.

"You sure you didn't mistranslate?" Owen laughs.

"No, although I did think I had when I first heard the request. They were speaking West Playtorian, I had learnt East Playtorian, so I thought there must have been huge differences in the meanings, but no that was right." Jestine laughs at the memory.

"Why did you know Playtorian at all?" Jack asks confused.

"Had some spare time, good thing I did too, they were more receptive to me when I was talking Playtorian than SIGL."

"Wouldn't there have been a more useful language for you to have learnt?"

"Not really, already learnt the more common known ones and I was after a challenge."

"Lucky though." Gwen smiles.

"Ok, what was the other contact?" Jack presses Jestine for more information.

"Um, yeah, nothing much at all, just some Weay, but got rid of them quickly." Jestine mutters avoiding looking at Jack.

"Fuck, what do you mean just some Weay? Do you know how dangerous they are?" Jack yells, incensed at her.

"Yes Jack, I am perfectly aware of what I was dealing with. But I had it under control, seriously just chill."

"No, I will not "just chill"" Jack fumes at her. "Do you have any idea what they can do?"

"Yes, I am well aware of what they can do, that was why I was the one to deal with them. I got them to leave without any violence so it's ok."

"And why would they do that, they don't leave any where without violence." Jack snarls at Jestine.

"We have history." Jestine simply states.

"History, History?" "You are kidding me right?" Jack looks at Jestine like he was talking to an idiot.

"No, I would never kid about something this serious, I was able to make them leave without any casualties, the rest doesn't matter."

"What history?" Jack looks deep into Jestine's eyes, daring her to lie.

"It isn't important, they are gone and that's the end of that." Jestine doesn't back down from Jack's glare.

"Jack now is not the time for this." Ianto interrupts the staring contest that Jack and Jestine had seemed to have entered.

"Fine, but next time anything like that happens higher authorities are called in, you understand." He frowns at Jestine, daring her to say otherwise.

"Ok, whatever makes you feel better, I only did it because I knew what I was doing and was confidant of how it was going to end."

"Still next time don't risk it."

"I won't."

"Good."

"Ok, anything else to report?" Jack looks around at the rest of his team.

"No, that was about it." Gwen answers.

"Oh, yeah, one thing." Jestine speaks up.

"Yeah?" Jack asks hesitantly, wondering what it was going to be now.

"I would like my weapons back please."

"Owen, psych test her first. Then you will need some training." Jack orders.

"Is that really necessary?" Jestine asks, wishing to be arm again as soon as possible.

"Yes, we don't give out weapons to just anyone and you need to know how to use them properly, doubt The Doctor would have showed you how to."

"She really doesn't need any training." Gwen expresses.

"I will say whether or not she needs training." Jack glares, wishing he could get some back up for his orders for once. He really needed to teach his team more obedience.

"She really doesn't need it Jack." Ianto adds. "She is the best shot I have ever seen."

"You saying she's better than me?" Jack leans over Ianto, brushing across his neck.

"Actually yes, sorry." Ianto shivers at Jack's breath against his neck.

"I don't believe you." Jack moves away from Ianto sulking.

"Teaboy has it right." Owen backs Ianto up.

"Fine then, Owen psych test her, then you can show me just how good you really are." Jack orders.

"Oh, and while you are there Owen, give her a higher does of those drugs, they didn't last long."

"I heard, and I don't know why, it should have lasted a few hours worse case."

"Ok then, run some blood test to see if there are any reasons for that." Jack orders.

"Yes I know, you don't want any blood test, but unless you can tell us why they didn't work like normal we have to find out why." Jack cuts off Jestine's protest.

"Fine, whatever." Jestine stammers, trying to look brave.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So do you actually know what the reason is, or do I need to test your blood?" Owen looks over to the girl sitting on the autopsy bay bed.

"No I don't if I did I would have told you." Jestine answers, looking nervous as Owen pulled out a needle to take the blood test.

"Ok, just make sure you relax your arm and it will only hurt a little bit." Owen tries to comfort the obviously scared girl.

"Just get it over with." Jestine stammers, staring wide eyed at the injection in Owen's hand.

"Dejook!" Jestine yells, bursting into tears as Owen goes to inject the needle.

"What the fuck?" Owen asks, bewildered by the girls reaction.

Before she has the chance to answer the rest of the team comes running over, worried about the yell.

"What happened?" Jack asks, arriving first, obviously having been hovering not far waiting for the results.

"Nothing, I was just about to give her the blood test, didn't even start." Owen grumbles at the interruption.

"Really, you swear over a needle?" Jack looks at Jestine with disbelief.

"Was that what that was?" Owen asks curious.

"Glacker if I am not mistaken." Jack smirks.

"Look the sooner you let me do this the sooner it's done." Owen tries to sooth her.

"Feroke." Jestine calls out as the needle pierces her skin, promptly bursting into tears.

He quickly draws the blood, eager to be away from the crying girl. He tries to pull the needle out as gently as possible but still Jestine shudders at it.

"Yeout." She whispers, voice filled with pain.

"It's over, you'll live." Owen places the vial on the bench and moves to place a cotton bud on her arm to hold against the mark till it stopped bleeding, only to have her flinch at the contact.

"You ok, your arm isn't too sore is it?" Owen asks, hoping that no damaged had been caused by her hysterics.

"She doesn't like physical contact." Jack answers for the girl.

"You ok?" He looks at Jestine questionably.

"Really, really don't like needles." Jestine manages between sobs.

"Noticed, those are quite strong words for needles." Jack replies with a slight quirk of his eyebrows.

"Just don't ever make me have any more blood test." Jestine glares at Jack as she rubs her arm.

"So what did you say?" Gwen asks from the railing.

"Just standard curses." Jestine answers as she rubs her arm.

"Yeah, in three different languages, what was the middle one?" Jack enquires.

"Projon." Jestine answers simply as she moves to sit up, only to sit back down.

"Fuck, how much did you take?" She turns to Owen who is starting to run the test.

"Just the standard amount, just lie for a few minutes and you should be fine." Owen absently answers back.

"How long till the results?" Jack queries.

"A few minutes probably, depending on just what she has in her blood."

"Can you lot leave?" Jestine asks from the bed.

"What, got something to hide?" Jack jokes, hoping to boost her mood.

"Yes, I actually have blue blood and don't want you to see." Jestine tries to joke back.

"Too late, they all already saw your blood when they came rushing to find out what you were yelling about." Owen jokes back.

"Damm, now I'm going have to kill you all for knowing my secret." Jestine smirks, taking a sitting position.

"You can try but I will just keep coming back for your blue blood." Jack chuckles back as he helps her settle on the bed.

"We can go if you really would like us to." Tosh offers, realising the girls discomfort at them being around for the results.

"Thanks, if you could, it's just I don't know what will come up and I really would rather you not see things you shouldn't see." Jestine smiles up at Tosh.

"Ok, once you both have had a look at the information come and tell me whatever is relevant. Anything else can stay between you two." Jack indicates, not happy about not knowing everything but understanding the need to protect secrets.

"Thanks, I do appreciate it." Jestine smiles a tight smile while still stroking her arm.

"Back to work team." Jack orders as he climbs the stairs.

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"Are you really that scared of needles?" Owen looks over at Jestine questionably once the rest of the team had left.

"Well yeah. How couldn't you be, they hurt." Jestine pouts.

"You're kidding me right?" Owen stares at her, looking for any sign she was having him on.

"No, why would I kid about something as scary as needles?" Jestine looks at him like he had just suggested that the moon was made of cheese.

"You had a broken arm the other day, without any pain killers, how can you compare that to a needle?" Owen looks at her perplexed.

"Needles do hurt a lot more and there is nothing to be scared of with a broken bone." Jestine states as if it were logical.

"If you say so." Owen gives up.

"You would be terrified of needles too if you had one break in your arm." Jestine mutters as Owen looks over the machines, waiting for them to be done.

"That does hurt, but really not as much as a broken arm." Owen tries to sympathise with Jestine.

"Yeah right." Jestine grumbles.

They both settle into a silence after that, lost in their own thoughts.

Minutes later the machines let out a beep to indicate that they were done.

Owen looks at the computer screen, his face becoming more and more dazed at the results before him.

"Shit, what is it?" Jestine asks concern clear in her voice.

"The machines automatically run a DNA comparison for everyone in the database, alien and human, from all countries databases, helps quicken the progress when identifying bodies and aliens." Owen explains.

"And you DNA seems to be showing something really interesting."

"Oh, no, no, shit, why didn't he warn me about that." Jestine rambles.

"He really should have." Owen agrees without even asking who she was talking about.

"Please Owen, you can not tell anyone about this, please, it needs to go to your grave." Jestine pleas.

"So I guess they don't know?" Owen looks at the girl whose biggest secret was now on screen.

"No they don't and they can't find out, you don't understand, if they find out, who knows what could happen." Jestine pleas, her voice nearing hysterics.

"How is it even possible?" Owen asks, astonished at what the results were showing.

"It's complicated, but this needs to be something you keep quiet about, please, it hasn't happened for them yet, they can't know."

"Why are you here though, if you know what is going to happen, how can you even look at them, knowing what is coming and not do anything about it?" Owen looks at her with disgust, wondering how she could just let someone die.

"I don't have a choice in it Owen, if I did I would in a heartbeat. I would happily give my life for his, but you have to understand, if I change something it would cause a huge paradox. And the universe needs me, I was born for a reason." Jestine tries desperately to get Owen on side.

"What, you think you're more important than everyone else?" Owen's voice drips with revulsion.

"No, it's not like that. Everything about me is significant, but none of it is because of me, it's all because of them and the events that surround my conception and birth." Jestine struggles to get Owen to understand.

"So you do think your are important."

"Well I am, but it isn't because of anything I have or ever will do, so it doesn't count."

"Yeah right. I should go and tell Jack about this straight away, this is something he should be dealing with not me." Owen makes to move out of the autopsy bay, but before he can take another step Jestine has blocked him.

"Please you can't tell him, you can't tell anyone, it could wreck it all." She looks at him pleading that he would see reason.

"Why did you come here than, when it's so important that no one knows who you are, wouldn't have been easier to just come after they are gone?" Owen asks as he backs down.

"You don't understand. I never meant to get involved, all I wanted to do was watch, not be apart of this." The girl admits.

"I had to step in with the Weevils and then I just couldn't help myself. How could I walk away from an opportunity like that?" Jestine asks Owen.

"Shit, you really are messed up aren't you?" Owen sighs, realising that this was not something he should mess with.

"You don't know the half of it." Jestine mutters, reading over the results. "And it's not because of that that I heal faster, it's a lot more complicated than that, it doesn't work like that."

"Ok, I really not going to say anything about it, but you have to explain something to Jack." Owen rids himself of responsibility, he had never asked to get involved with this mess.

"So how does your system work, do you have to save the data or does it do that automatically?" Jestine looks over to Owen.

"Automatically saved the second the results were done, would be attached to your file by now." Owen looks over to the girl.

"Ok then, makes things a little harder but should be able to get rid of them, we just need to come up with a believable story though." Jestine mutters to herself as she works her way through the security.

"Almost done." Jestine smiles triumphantly.

"So what's the story?" Owen asks, astounded at how quickly she had hacked into the files and changed them, he would have to speak to Tosh about upgrading the security.

"Don't bother trying to get Tosh to upgrade the security." Jestine mutters back.

"I didn't say anything about that." Owen protests.

"You may as well have, you're broadcasting that loudly." Jestine mutters.

"What do you mean, broadcasting?" Owen had almost had enough of Jestine for the day, if not lifetime.

"Your thoughts are really loud, you're letting off a strong signal of your thoughts." Jestine tries to explain while fixing the data.

"Fine, whatever." Owen grumbles back. "So what's the story?"

"Just going to blame on it testing that happened when I was with The Doc when I was younger, add some proteins into the sample so it is credible."

"If you say so." Owen shrugs, coming up with stories had never been his thing, most things he was open about or just didn't talk about.

"So can you hear all our thoughts?" Owen asks as he watches her apply the finishing touches to the lie.

"Not all the time, just you were thinking so loud." Jestine explains, turning away from the computer, work now done.

Owen nods, too overwhelmed by what he had just found out to protest more.

"So psych test?" Jestine asks as she sits down on the bed once more.

"Yeah, cause you wouldn't possibly have some way to fake it." Owen rolls his eyes.

"Who me?" Jestine responds with mock hurt.

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"So do we have answers?" Jack asks as Owen and Jestine walk into his office.

"Yeah, seems to be caused by some testing I had done years ago, think they slipped something extra in, there seems to be some Tryiton proteins." Jestine lies flawlessly.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Jack looks over at Jestine.

"Didn't think of it really, I've never shown any other symptoms, just healing quickly but that seems the most reasonable answer." Jestine explains as Jack nods, her story seeming to make some kind of sense.

"Now, can I have my weapons back?" Jestine questions Jack.

"Did you do the psych test?" Jack asks knowing full well she hadn't.

"Does it matter?" Jestine pouts, eager to be reunited with her weapons. "It's not like anyone here is sane."

"Hey." Owen objects. "Watch who you are calling insane."

"Look Jack I understand you want to keep your team safe. I can assure you I will never put them in a position where they could be harm." Jestine tries to reassure Jack.

Jack looks at her for a moment, considering what she had said before sighing.

"Ianto." He calls out, the Welshman emerging from the kitchen moments later, a platter filled with cups of coffee.

"Just a minute sir, need to give the others their coffee." Ianto calls out as he moves to hand the girls their mugs, already seeing Owen and Jestine in Jack's office.

"You called?" Ianto asks as he hands the coffee to Jestine and Owen before placing Jack's down on the desk and picking up his own.

"Time for Jestine to get her weapons back." Jack declares. "And then we can really see who the better shot is."

"Yes sir." Ianto rolls his eyes at the knowledge of what was coming next before moving off to grab the container that held the girls weapons.

"I could bet you with my eyes close." Jestine smirks towards Jack.

"Bet you can't." Jack replies.

"Bet I can." Jestine responses.

"Really, can either of you act your age?" Ianto mutters as he enters the room with Jestine's weapons.

"Thank you." Jestine beams as she pulls out her weapons.

"Why do you need so many?" Jack questions as he watches her pull out knives, guns and a taser.

"It's better to be safe than sorry with The Doc." Jestine answers as she finishes strapping everything into place.

"He let you have weapons?" Jack asks, dumbfounded that The Doctor would let anyone have any weapons.

"Yeah, I know, he hates violence of any type. He just knew there was no way to stop me and he made me promise to not use them unless I had to" Jestine explains.

"So you ready for an expert to show how it's done?" Jestine smirks at Jack before walking towards the shooting range.

"She is so going down." Jack mutters before he too exits his office.

Ianto rolls his eyes before following the two.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You cheated, you clearly cheated." Jack accused Jestine as the team made their way up to the main level of the Hub.

"And how exactly did I cheat?" Jestine smirks over at Jack.

"No one could have got that shot fairly." Jack grumbles.

"Stop being such a sore loser." Jestine teases.

"When you admit you cheated." Jack counters back.

"Can't admit something I didn't do." Jestine smirks at Jack.

"Ok, enough." Ianto stops them from fighting anymore.

"Jestine won fair and square." Ianto diffuses the situation.

"And if you behave, I might let you show me just how good your aim is later." Ianto lowers his voice so only Jack can hear, causing the immortal to grin and try to grab Ianto's arse.

"I said if you behave." Ianto swats Jack's hand away.

"Oi Harkness leave your molesting till we're gone." Owen glares before moving back to the autopsy bay.

"What you want for lunch?" Jestine calls out to the retreating back.

"Pizza." Owen calls back.

"Gwen, Tosh, what would you like?" Ianto asks the girls as they move back to their computers to continue the task they had been doing before the competition.

"Chinese would be good." Gwen answers.

"We had that the other day." Tosh mumbles absent-mindedly. "We haven't had noodles for a while.

"Jack what do you want?"

"Whatever you want Yan." Jack answers smiling at his lover.

"God, can you stop the soppiness or else no one will want lunch." Jestine shakes her head.

"What would you like?" Ianto chooses to ignore Jestine's remark.

"Don't really feel like take out, I think I might just grab something here." Jestine answers.

"No, custard and fish sticks are not lunch." Ianto scowls at the girl.

"Just cause you don't think so doesn't mean it isn't." Jestine grumbles back.

"Why are you having fish sticks with custard?" Jack looks at Jestine in confusion.

"It's what The Doctor use to eat." Ianto explains. "Had I known that he was the man who was taking care of her when you had left I would have gotten you to give him a whack across the head. Fish sticks and custard." Ianto shakes his head.

Jack lets out a chuckle on finding it was The Doctor's doing.

"At least he is past the banana stage." Jack laughs.

"No, he still likes his bananas." Jestine laughs too.

"I don't care what he likes, you are not having custard and fish sticks for lunch, there is no nutrient in those."

"Ok, I won't, would you just chill. I'll just have whatever you get." Jestine replies.

"Looks like you have all the power." Jack turns to Ianto.

"I've always had all the power." Ianto smirks.

"Really, is that how it is?" Jack raises his eyebrows before grabbing hold of Ianto and pushing him against the closest desk and pulling him in for a deep kiss.

Neither man broke the kiss till their lungs demands for oxygen became too much.

"So you still have all the power." Jack pants to Ianto, smirking at noticing the rather large bulge Ianto had developed.

"Fuck you." Ianto pants back.

"With pleasure." Jack grins before pushing his lips to Ianto's once again.

"Would hate to interrupt your making out session but could you get food before we all starve." Owen scowls as he moves up to the main area, hoping that food would be there soon.

"You're just jealous you don't get any of the Harkness Charm." Jack smirks back at Owen.

"In your dreams Harkness." Owen glares at Jack.

"Sorry Owen, leaving now." Ianto speaks as he straightens his suit, trying to disguise the predominant bulge he now sported.

"I'll go." Jestine volunteers.

"No, it's ok, Jack can help for that." Ianto scowls at Jack, although amused to see that Jack sported a similar bulge.

"Ok." Jack beams, just happy to spend time with Ianto, which he was sure Ianto knew as well.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Can you at least wait till we get to my car before you start?" Ianto tries to not give into Jack's advances.

"Can't help myself, you're just so delicious." Jack grins as he pushes Ianto up against his car and rocks his hips into Ianto's causing both men to groan as their arousals hit each others.

Ianto fumbles for his keys as Jack starts an onslaught on his neck. He pulls the door open before Jack pushes him onto the back seat.

"Fuck you're gorgeous." Jack mutters as he unbuttons Ianto's shirt, lapping at the skin as it is revealed.

Ianto merely moans at the contact, too caught up in the moment to argue with Jack.

Jack moves onto Ianto's pants, desperate to view the other man's dick.

Ianto's cock springs forth once Jack has freed it from the confides of his pants and boxer. Jack growls at the sight before him, Ianto spread out across the back seat of his car, shirt undone, pants and underwear pooled at his feet with his cock standing to attention.

"Need you now Jack." Ianto whimpers at the sound of Jack's growl, his cock already weeping with pre-cum.

Ianto pulls Jack down into a passionate kiss, rolling his hips into Jack's, shivers being sent through his cock as it brushed against the material of Jack's pants and feels Jack's own arousal on the other side.

"Not going to last long if you do that too much." Jack groans into Ianto's mouth.

"Don't need to last long, just need you in me." Ianto pants.

Needing no further invitation, Jack crawls into the car, pulling out lube.

Ianto shivers with anticipation as he watches Jack slick up his fingers.

Ianto allows himself to relax as he feels Jack's hand come between his legs and tease his entrance.

"Stop being such a fucking tease." Ianto moans before Jack pushes into him, cause him to groan with a mixture of pain and pleasure.

Jack brings his lips to his lovers once again as he stretches him out.

"Fuck Jack, please, I need you." Ianto pleads.

He whimpers at the loss of Jack's fingers, only to have them replaced with Jack's slicked up penis, Ianto not even realising at what point Jack had managed that, nor did he care at the moment when he could feel it pushing into him as Jack slowly moved till he was balls deep.

Jack waited a few moments for Ianto to get used to his length before shifting so he would hit Ianto's prostrate with each thrust. Ianto pushes back in Jack to let him know he could stand no more waiting.

Jack slowly withdraws his cock till only the very tip is still in Ianto before thrusting back in, hitting Ianto's prostrate hard, causing Ianto's eyes to roll back in his head.

"Oh God, oh god, fuck me harder." Ianto breaths as pleasure takes hold.

"Fuck, love the feel of you around my cock, so hot and tight." Jack mutters as he thrust in and out at a much quicker pace.

Ianto lets out a moan every time Jack thrusts deep inside of him and hits his prostrate at a now punishing pace.

"Fuck, I'm not going to last much longer." Ianto yells as he feels his balls tightening, his orgasm building to breaking point.

"Scream for me Ianto." Jack gasps as he feels Ianto's channel tighten around him.

"Oh God, oh God, fuck, fuck, oh Jack, Jack." Ianto screams as his orgasm washes over him, the tightening of his channel enough to push Jack over with him.

Jack calls out Ianto's name as his seed shots inside of Ianto.

"I love you so much Yan." Jack smiles before capturing Ianto's lips once again, pushing all his feelings into it.

"Love you too Cariad." Ianto replies once the kiss ends.

Both man lean against each other for another few minutes, both recovering from the activities and each enjoying being so close to their lover.

"We better go get the food before the start to eat each other." Ianto suggest once both had gotten their breath back.

Jack helps Ianto into a sitting position as they move to straighten up their clothing.

Jack slips into the passenger seat as Ianto gets behind the wheel. He may be in charge of Torchwood but no one was allowed to drive Ianto's car. Ianto pecks Jack on the lips once before starting on their journey.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Food's here" Jack bellows as he walks into the Hub.

"I think they could work that out when they heard the alarm." Ianto chuckles at Jack.

"You never know." Jack pokes his tongue out.

"You keep it out and I might just have to take it." Ianto raises his eyebrows suggestively.

"So you do come back." Jestine quips as she walks out of the kitchen with a plate loaded with coffee.

"Oh, we came alright." Jack smirks.

"Time and place Jack." Jestine laughs as she carries the tray over to the conference room with Jack and Ianto following.

"Finally." Owen grumbles as they enter the room.

"It wasn't that long." Ianto rolls his eyes.

"I've slept longer than it took them." Jestine jokes as she passes out the coffees.

"Ok, everyone dig in." Jack orders once all the containers were spread out, having chosen Indian.

"You ok?" He raises an eyebrow at Jestine who suddenly seems very tense.

"Umm, yeah, fine." Jestine mutters unconvincingly while staring at the food as if it were about to attack her.

"What's wrong?" Jack asks, not convinced she was right.

"Nothing, nothing, its just the cutlery doesn't match." Jestine mumbles.

"Shit, sorry Jestine." Ianto apologises before grabbing matching cutlery for her.

"Thanks, sorry." Jestine blushes.

"Don't worry about it." Ianto tries to sooth.

"What was that about?" Jack asks Ianto.

"Just leave it Jack." Ianto reassures Jack as he helps himself to the food.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Any rift activity tonight?" Jack asks Tosh after taking a big mouth full.

"Jack, empty your mouth first." Ianto glares at the man, you would think after more than a hundred years Jack would have learnt some table manners.

"No, doesn't look like it." Tosh answers once she had finished her own mouthful.

"Good, Ianto I was thinking we could try out that Italian restraint tonight if you want." Jack half mutters, nervous at the chance that Ianto may have changed his mind about the date.

"Sorry can't, on Rift alert duty." Ianto replies sadly, having been looking forward to his date with Jack.

"Don't worry, I can take it tonight." Jestine volunteers.

"You can't, you need to see if the new dose works." Ianto informs her.

"It's ok, I can try tomorrow night, it won't hurt me to miss one nights sleep, I've already had tons." Jestine tries to convince Ianto.

"Yeah, you can take one night off." Tosh adds, happy to see her best friend getting another chance of happiness.

"But its mine turn, you all need your nights off too, we already worked it out." Ianto protest, more because he didn't want to make someone else have to be stuck at work when it should be his turn.

"But that was before Jack came back, so we are going have to redo them." Jestine rationalises.

"And we couldn't possibly have that done by tonight, so I suggest we scrap the current system until we can work it out." Jestine smiles at Ianto, knowing why he was so hesitant, always wanting to help others, never wishing to make someone else have to do something when he could do it for them.

"I agree." Tosh voices her support.

"Me too." Gwen adds.

They all turn to look at Owen, to see what he thought of proposal.

"I don't care as long as I can get away from these two snogging all the time." Owen answers unable to meet anyone's eyes, feeling like he was betraying them by not telling them what was really on the test he had run. He understood why he couldn't tell anyone but it was still eating him up inside.

"I think that is a majority so it looks like you're going out tonight." Jestine announces happily.

"Looks like I've be outnumbered, I would love to go to the Italian place with you." Ianto smiles over to Jack.

"You sure, you don't have to." Jack speaks, looking hurt thinking Ianto had been trying to find an excuse to get out of the date.

"Of course I'm sure." Ianto smiles at Jack before leaning in closer to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Ok, pick you up at seven?" Jack smiles broadly at Ianto.

"Aren't we just going to head there from here?" Ianto asks, confused by Jack picking him up.

"No, you need to get ready before hand." Jestine interrupts.

"And so do you Jack, you are not wearing that on a date." She looks down at Jack's attire.

"What's wrong with this?" Jack looks offended at her insulting his style.

"Besides that it went out of fashion 60 years ago, it's not first date clothing." Jestine raises her eyeing daring Jack to dispute her claim.

"Ok, fine then." Jack raises his hands in defeat.

"Good, it's settled then, Ianto you leave at 5:30 to get ready. Jack you will finish at 5:45, give you time to get ready then pick Ianto up at 6:30 and arrive at the restaurant at 7:00. I will go book it now." Jestine orders. "Oh and the rest of you can leave at 6:00, I will call you if anything comes up." And with that she leaves the room.

Jack watches her exit, bewildered. "Hey, aren't I'm the one meant to be giving out the orders." He yells after her as the rest of the team laughs.

"You still have realised that you aren't in charge, have you." Ianto chuckles, kissing the pout from Jack's lips, causing the girls to give a squeal of delight.

"They need a name." Gwen squeals after a few moments of quiet.

"We have names already." Jack looks at Gwen as though she had lost her mind.

"No, you need a couple name." Gwen grins broadly showing off her gap tooth.

"What would it be though?" Tosh asks, her face frowning in concentration.

"We do not need a couple name." Ianto glares as his face flashes with embarrassment.

"You do." Tosh laughs at her best friend's reaction.

"I know, Ianck." Gwen beams.

"Janto works better." Jestine interrupts, entering the room having finished booking the restaurant. "Ok, it's booked for 7:00 under Harkness, less common than Jones."

"Janto." Gwen mulls. "I like it." Gwen grins. "Janto."

"Yeah, works well." Tosh smiles too.

"Please stop." Ianto pleads.

"I like it." Jack smiles while looking over at Ianto, liking the thought of being a couple with Ianto.

"Isn't it a bit soon for couple names?" Ianto asks in desperation to get away from the name. "We haven't even had our first date."

"Yeah, cause that means you aren't together." Jestine mutters sarcastically.

"We aren't a couple, at least not yet." Ianto tries to argue without hurting Jack's feelings.

"Yeah cause people who aren't a couple normally tell each other that they love each other." Jestine smirks knowing just what she had unleashed.

Tosh squeals at this, Gwen gapes, while Owen rolls his eyes, Jack beams and Ianto turns bright red.

"You, you heard?" Ianto stammers.

"Yeah, I know you two both forgot I was there." Jestine smiles.

"Shit." Ianto mutters, waiting for the onslaught of questions.

"Who told who first? When did it happen? How many times have you said it? Where did you say it? How did you say it?" Ianto was right, Tosh and Gwen bombarding him and Jack with questions.

"Ok, ok, one at a time." Jack chuckles.

"Do not encourage them." Ianto glares at Jack, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him, anything would have to be better than this.

"Who said it first?" Gwen asks.

"Ianto did, but then I said it." Jack answers, practically glowing from the memory of it.

"Where?" Tosh asks, already planning on tracking down the footage if it happened in the Hub.

"In the archives."

"And no Tosh, you won't find the footage, I already removed it." Jestine interjects.

"Really?" Jack asks sounding crushed, he really wanted the footage from that moment, already knowing it was likely to keep him warm for many nights after Ianto had died.

"Don't worry I have a copy for you." Jestine smiles, already having had anticipated Jack's want to keep the moment alive forever.

"Thanks." Jack beams.

"When did this happen?" Gwen interrupts the moment, frowning slightly at the news.

"Yesterday after everyone had gone home." Ianto answers, feeling less shy about the situation, realising just how much the team cared for his happiness.

"So how did it come up?".

"We were talking about an actor called John Barrowman and I was just like it's a pity his gay and Ianto's all like but isn't his age also a problem and I'm all like it doesn't matter, age is just something that people gets caught up with. And then Jack asks Ianto if he thinks his age is a problem. And then Ianto says "No, Cariad, nothing is a problem with you, you are perfect." And then his like "I love you so much, nothing could stop that."" Jestine explains without pausing for breath, beaming at the memory.

"What did Jack say in reply?" Gwen holds her breath waiting for the reply.

"I told him I loved him too, and I meant it." Jack beams at Ianto, pulling him off his chair and onto his lap before kissing him deeply, causing Tosh to once again squeal.

"Are you two going to stop it so we can eat without being sick?" Owen asks once both men had come up for air.

"Never." Jack smirks before dragging Ianto back in for another kiss.

Owen rolled his eyes at the display of affection, part of him happy to see Ianto happy again, another part of him guilty at the knowledge he was keeping from them.

"So what are your plans for tonight?" Jestine enquires about the other members of the team as Jack and Ianto continued to be wrapped up in their own world.

"Just looking forward to a night on the couch with Rhys." Gwen smiles, she loved her job, but the long hours meant that she rarely got home before Rhys was in bed.

Owen and Tosh look at each other shyly, both knowing what they had planned but not sure if they wanted to share just yet.

"Probably just a night curled up in bed reading a good book." Tosh answers avoiding eye contact.

"Don't know, probably just go to some club and see if I can laid." Owen answers crudely.

"Yeah, of course." Jestine grins knowingly.

"Can you stop doing that, it gives me the creeps." Owen frowns at Jestine, hating that she always looked like she knew everything and given the information he had found out it was highly likely that she did.

"Stop what?" Jestine raises an eyebrow, playing innocent, a look she could have pulled off had it not been for the glint in her eye.

"The look you give as if you know everything."

"Oh, but I do." Jestine laughs.

"No, I'm the only one who knows everything." Ianto smirks, having joined the real world once more.

"Oh, but do you know the meaning of life?" Jestine smirks.

"Everyone knows that, its 42." Ianto smirks back, laughing at their insider joke.

"Well I guess you do know everything, my deepest apologises for underestimating you." Jestine laughs.

"Your apology is accepted this time but next time you will face severe punishment." Ianto tries to pull a serious face but fails from laughing too much.

"Oh no, what would that be." Jestine says with mock horror.

"Your worse nightmare, Jack's coffee." Ianto smirks.

"Oh no, how did you know that is my worse nightmare." Jestine barely manages to get out from laughing so much.

"Cause I know everything." Ianto manages to say before collapsing into a fit of laughter and almost falling off Jack's lap.

"Hey, that's not funny" Jack pouts till Ianto once again shuts him up by kissing him.

The team is still laughing as Jack and Ianto break apart once again.

"It really wasn't that funny." Jack comments as he watches his team-mates laugh.

"Inside joke." Jestine squeezes out between laughs.

"You do have pretty bad coffee." Ianto tells Jack.

"If you say so." Jack resumes pouting.

"I'm not going to kiss you every time you pout." Ianto rolls his eyes at Jack but still kisses him anyway.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine looks around the table realising that everyone had finished.

"Here let me help." Ianto offers as Jestine starts to pack up the empty containers.

"Ok, thanks, can you get the dishes." Jestine replies while giving the dirty dishes a glare.

Jack raises an eyebrow having caught the glare. "Are the plates in the wrong position?" He asks, concerned that this may just all be too much for her.

"No, just don't like dirty dishes." Jestine answers Jack before walking out with the containers.

"Is she really ok to be working here?" Jack asks Owen.

Owen sighs, knowing things would be simpler for him if she wasn't here now that he knew. "I know it seems a little extreme some of her behaviour but I really don't believe they will stop her. But I am keeping an eye on her and if I become concerned about any of the behaviour I will tell you." Owen decides that it wasn't his place to decide whether she should be here or not, it was obviously something she had decided.

"Ok, just let me know as soon as you see anything unusual, I don't want her here if it is just going to put anyone in danger." Jack sighs before getting up to help Ianto with the dishes.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

By time Jack had joined Ianto in loading the dishwasher, Jestine had left to clean up some other part of the Hub that was probably already spotless.

"Hello gorgeous." Jack smiles as he wraps his arms around Ianto's waist.

"Can I help you?" Ianto asks as he leans back into Jack's arms.

"Well now that you have mentioned it, something really hard has come up." Jack punctuates this statement by thrusting his hips into Ianto's arse, allowing Ianto to feel his arousal.

"And how do you think I could be of service, sir?" Ianto smirks, knowing exactly how calling him sir turned Jack on.

Ianto was right, feeling Jack's cock getting impossibly harder.

"I need you now." Jack growls in Ianto's ear, being so turned on by Ianto's use of sir.

Ianto smirks as he turns around in Jack's grip, grabbing hold of Jack's head before pulling him forward into a blistering kiss.

Both man groan deeply into the kiss, their arousals rubbing against each other through material.

Ianto pushes Jack back against the table and lifts him on to it.

Jack growls, loving Ianto taking charge.

Ianto tugs down Jack's braces before unzipping him and letting his pants pool around his ankles, his manhood standing proud, Jack once again forgoing underwear.

Ianto allows himself a moment to take the sight of Jack in, his lover making him painfully hard.

"Love you so much." Ianto whispers voice dripping with desire before taking Jack in his mouth, while undoing his own pants.

"Oh, God, oh fuck, love you too Yan." Jack moans as Ianto flicks his tongue on the thick vein running under Jack's cock.

Jack latches his hands in Ianto's hair, encouraging his lover to go faster.

"Oh God." Jack yells as he feels one of Ianto's hands circling his entrance, gasping again when Ianto breaches him.

Ianto pushes his fingers in and out of Jack, having stolen the lube from Jack's pocket while he was distracted.

Ianto moves his fingers slightly so he can graze Jack's prostrate, causing the other man to groan loudly with pleasure that travelled through to Ianto's own cock.

Ianto pulled his fingers out, deciding that was enough preparation if he wanted Jack to come with him in him.

Jack whimpers at the loss of Ianto's fingers from his anus. Ianto lets Jack's cock go with a soft _pop_, causing Jack to groan at the sudden exposure to the cool air of the kitchen.

"I want you to slick me up." Ianto instructs his voice husky with need.

Jack immediately obeys, loving the feel of his lovers cock as he strokes it up and down, flicking the slit at the end. Ianto moans at this action, buckling his hips forward, searching for more friction.

"Ready?" Ianto asks Jack.

Getting a nod, Ianto climbs onto the table so he is leaning over his lover, kissing him deeply, pulling Jack's ankles to his hips before pushing in deep.

Each man groans at the feeling of connection to their lover, taking a moment to let it wash over them.

Placing his hands either side of Jack for support, Ianto shifts till Jack lets out a groan, alerting Ianto that he had hit his prostrate. Grinning Ianto pulls back before pushing back in, hitting Jack's prostrate hard enough to cause the other man's eyes to roll back.

Both men rock in unison, working together to bring their partner over the edge.

Jack growls deeply as he feels his balls start to tighten, warning Ianto that he was close.

Ianto responses by grabbing hold of Jack's dick and pumping hard in time with his thrust.

Jack lasts only three more thrust before he cames spilling all over Ianto's hand, yelling his lover's name.

The tightening of Jack's channel pushes Ianto overboard, his own orgasm washing over him as he spills deep inside of Jack, his lovers name echoed in the room.

Both men ride out the orgasm before Ianto's now soft member slips out of Jack's arse, causing Jack to moan at the loss. Ianto lowers Jack's ankles before leaning down to kiss Jack deeply.

"Love you." Jack smiles as they break apart.

"Love you too." Ianto smiles back before moving off the table and hoping Jack sit up.

"Argh, gross, I eat off that table." They hear Owen complain before hearing the man turn quickly and practically run out of the room.

Both men chuckle at being caught by Owen, with Ianto blushing a little, before fixing their clothes.

Ianto helps Jack off the table, capturing his lips once more before moving back to the dishwasher to finish packing it.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The rest of the day had been quiet with Ianto retreating to the archives for some peace and a chance to clear his thoughts.

"Hey, how's it going?" Jestine brings Ianto out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, just all a little overwhelming." Ianto admits.

"Yeah, I know, I hope you aren't too angry about me mentioning you and Jack telling each other that you love each other. I do understand that was a very personal moment, I just wanted to prove to you just how much you mean to Jack and that you are a couple."

"I know you are still heartbroken about Jack leaving and don't want to get hurt but you can't let that stop you from living your life. Sometimes you have to put yourself in a position where you can get hurt so you can experience life to the fullest, especially with this job." Jestine adds sadly.

Ianto scoff at this. "How can you tell me that when you won't even sleep with the same person more than once. That's certainly not letting you live life to the fullest."

"That's different." Jestine glares at Ianto.

"How, how is it different. You won't let anyone in. You can't go through life sleeping with randoms, you need more in life than that."

"I can't let anyone in. They all just leave." Jestine mutters sadly.

Ianto sighs. "I'm sorry I mentioned it."

"Yeah." Jestine replies, her mind seeming to be else where.

"Could you help me get ready?" Ianto asks nervously after a while of silence.

"Why would you want my help, I've never been on a date before." Jestine scoffs. "Surely you have much more experience?"

"No, I've never been on a date with a man before." Ianto blushes slightly, the idea of going on a date with a man something he would never had considered before meeting Jack.

"I'm guessing it's just the same as going out with a girl." Jestine laughs.

"Still can you help me, I have no idea what to wear." Ianto pleads.

"You do realise Jack won't mind what you wear, he will love whatever you choose." Jestine tries to reassure Ianto.

"I know, I just want to look my best." Ianto sighs realising how much like a girl he was sounding.

"I would love to help you." Jestine smiles. "How about I get Tosh to come over too?"

"No, I wouldn't want to ruin her plans for the evening." Ianto says having not heard what Tosh had had planned or seeing the look that passed between her and Owen.

"I'm sure Owen won't mind if she is a little late." Jestine smirks.

"What?" Ianto looks at Jestine strangely, surely she wasn't saying.

"Yeah, you heard me." Jestine smirks again. "You were too busy making out with Jack to notice but when I asked them about their plans they shared a look."

Ianto laughs at this. "A look, that's what you are basing it off?"

"Trust me, there is totally something going on there." Jestine smiles.

"If you say so." Ianto dismisses Jestine's theory, well aware that Tosh had been pinning over Owen for years and that Owen was never interested in her.

"Look, I'll go find Tosh now and let her know." Jestine gets up and leaves Ianto once again in his thoughts.

**Hope you enjoyed it, please let me know, I can't improve unless you tell me what I'm doing wrong or right, till next time, have fun**


	16. Chapter 16

**So should have been in bed like 5 hours ago, at least but instead finished this off, although I am studying as I'm doing this so it evens out, at least I think so. So this one is set out differently from previous chapters. It is swapping between points of view, the names of the character it is from is in the fist sentence so shouldn't be too hard to work out, let me know though if it is too complicated. Hopefully the next story I publish will be an update on "Do you think the boss will mind, sir?" although it was never meant to be more than a one shot. Hope you are enjoying this story, please read and review, thank you to everyone who is and who has favourited and alerted this story. This is a M chapter, because Jack and Ianto just can****'t behave themselves.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Torchwood I wouldn't be worried about studying for exams I know I'm going to fail**

Ianto nervously goes to fix the tie that isn't there, as he waits for Jack. He rolls his eyes as he remembers that Jestine had forbidden him from wearing one. She had suggested instead he wears his red shirt and a pair of jeans, choosing the ones he had been wearing the day he and Jack had met, overall nice but nothing too fancy. She had conceded on the suit jacket, but only so he wouldn't freeze.

For someone who had never been on a date Jestine seemed well aware of how to dress for one.

The shoes had been the biggest problem though, neither Jestine nor Tosh thinking his work ones were up to scratch. Apparently he needed "Fuck me" shoes, something he had never heard of, but both girls adamant that he needed them.

Jestine had raced out to get the shoes, returning only ten minutes before Jack was due over. Ianto was sure that in the coming days he would have fines to get rid of for her.

Looking down at his feet at said "Fuck me" shoes, Ianto could not work out the difference between them and his normal shoes, but apparently they made the whole outfit so who was he to argue.

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Jack gives one more nervous look in the mirror. How he had gotten himself talked into this, he thinks while straightening his shirt.

He looks back in the mirror, taking in the black silk shirt and dark blue jeans Jestine had convinced him to wear.

He hadn't gone to this much effort for a date in years, hell he had even been on a date for years. He hadn't needed to go on dates, all he needed was someone to keep his bed warm, nothing more.

He smiles remembering just where he and Ianto had started and realising just how far they had come.

"You almost ready yet, you need to leave in five minutes or you're going to be late?" Jestine calls out from above him, interrupting his thoughts.

"So what do you think?" Jack asks nervously after he had climbed the ladder to find Jestine sitting at his desk.

"Perfect, Ianto won't be able to keep his eyes off you." She smiles before throwing him keys.

"What are these for?" Jack looks down at the keys in confusion.

"There is no way I am letting you use the SUV for your date, Ianto deserves something special." Jestine grins before walking out of the office.

Jack follows, confused by the girl's behaviour.

Jack enters the car park to see Jestine leaning against a Ford GT40 MK1.

"Beaut yeah?" Jestine smiles proudly.

"Which year?" Jack asks, moving closer for a better look.

"'65." Jestine replies as she watches him inspect the car.

"Wow, I remember when these were released, where did you get one?" Jack grins, remembering some fun times he had had in this model.

"Knew a guy." Jestine answers as Jack continues to look around at the car.

"I want you treat her nicely tonight, ok, it's been a while since she's really been out." Jestine strokes the car as Jack moves back around to her.

"You sure it's ok?" Jack looks over to Jestine, the pride practically flowing from her at this car.

"Well you can't use the SUV and Ianto really wouldn't want you driving his car now would he?" Jestine answers.

"What's her name?" Jack pops the bonnet to have a look at the engine.

"Amy." Jestine grins as Jack's eyes widen at the engine.

"Made a few adjustments." Jestine beams.

"Just a few." Jack chuckles, lowering the bonnet again.

"Anyway have fun." Jestine smiles once more time before heading back to the Hub.

"So Amy, ready of the ride of your life?" Jack grins at the car.

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"So how do you think Jack and Ianto are going to go?" Tosh asks Owen as they make their way to the cinema, making sure it was well away from the restaurant that Jack and Ianto were eating at that night.

"I really don't know. I just hope that this time Jack won't run off and break Ianto's heart again."

"Jestine seems certain that he is here to stay." Tosh replies.

"You ok?" Tosh looks over to Owen quizzical as she feels him tense at the mention of Jestine.

"Um, yeah, it's nothing." Owen tries to dismiss the question.

"What's wrong?" Tosh sounds worried.

"Nothing, just something that showed up on Jestine's test, can't talk about it though, you know doctor patient confidentiality." Owen hides behind the Doctor's code, glad for it for probably the first time in his life.

"Ok, but if you need to talk about anything you know I'm here right?" Tosh grabs his hands and squeezes reassuringly.

"I know." Owen squeezes back, glad that he had finally realised his feelings for Tosh.

"So what movie do you want to watch?" Owen diverts the conservation to something simpler, making a promise to himself to not talk about work for the rest of the night.

"I don't mind as long as it's not sci-fi." Tosh answers just like any member of the team would. After a long day chasing after aliens none of them liked to watch the movies that made them feel like they were back at work. Well none of them except Jestine who loved pointing out all the things they had wrong and telling them about the real things.

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"Honey, I'm home." Gwen calls out as she opens the door, glad for an early night. That was something that she appreciated about the time from when Jestine had joined. Once she had started most of the time Gwen had been able to leave at reasonable hours.

At the time she had all been so grateful for nights off, she hadn't bothered to look into why Jestine always wanted to be there at night.

Gwen knew Owen and Tosh were the same and Ianto probably would have worried had he not been so broken over Jack leaving. Gwen sighs as she realised that they had once again ignored a problem of someone on the team.

"Hey, how was your day?" Rhys asks as she enters the lounge still lost in her thoughts.

"You know the usual." Gwen mutters.

"You ok?" Rhys asks, realising how distracted Gwen was.

"Yeah, fine, just lots happened." Gwen replies.

"Anything you can tell me?" Rhys asks, knowing Gwen never would tell him about her actual job.

"Hmm, yeah." Gwen mutters, distracted thinking about Jack and Ianto.

"Jack and Ianto are going on a date tonight." Gwen tells Rhys.

"Jack the boss?" Rhys asks, already knowing but wanting confirmation. He knew that Gwen loved him but it wasn't good for any relationship to have someone like Jack Harkness around with his movie star looks.

"Yeah, going to that fancy Italian place." Gwen comments.

"Hopefully he could get Ianto to eat something." Rhys comments. While her boss had been away Gwen had been in a habit of getting Ianto to come around, stop him from getting lonely, the guy looking like he was about to collapse from malnutrition.

"Told each other that they loved each other too." Gwen adds almost darkly.

"How'd you know?" Rhys asks perplex, Ianto didn't seem like the type to loudly proclaim his feelings.

"Jestine told us." Gwen explains.

"How did she know?" Rhys looks even more confused.

"She was talking to Ianto right before it happened." Gwen informs Rhys.

"Well at least they have found happiness then." Rhys grins, remembering just how broken Ianto had been every time he had come over.

"Yeah." Gwen answers without much feeling.

"Oh, and Tosh and Owen are together." Gwen adds.

"Really?" Rhys raises an eyebrow, remembering Gwen telling him about how Tosh had been in love with Owen for years but he had never returned the feelings.

"Yeah. Everyone with someone. Well besides Jestine." Gwen tells Rhys.

"How about you set her up with Andy, it's about time he got over you?" Rhys joked, well aware of the crush Gwen's former police partner had on her.

" They always are talking when we get on the crime scenes." Gwen tells Rhys as a different plan forms in her mind.

Rhys chuckles as he could see a plan already forming in his fiancées mind.

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Jack didn't know why he was so nervous. He had been on plenty of dates before.

This was nothing new for him. He already knew Ianto so he wouldn't have to be careful about what he said or have to make up lies about where and when he was born.

So why did it feel like a flock of Myfanwys had taken up residency in his stomach.

"Pull yourself together, he knows you yet still loves you. There is nothing for you to worry about, it's just a meal, you've done this before." Jack tries to pep himself up, but still he couldn't shake the nerves as he goes to knock on Ianto's door.

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Ianto sighs as he hears the knock on the door.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go out with Jack, it was just that he was so nervous. He had never experienced nerves like this for a date before and he didn't know why.

It wasn't as if he had to impress Jack as much as with normal first dates. He knew Jack already loved him and this was more a formality, but still he was more nervous than he had ever been in his life.

It wasn't just that Jack was a man, it just a date made it real. They were actually in a proper relationship, not just two people shagging casually. And that was what scared Ianto the most.

He knew Jack could never die, but still he was terrified of losing him, of him running off with The Doctor again. Regardless of what Jestine said, Ianto was sure given the chance Jack would go off with The Doctor and there would be a good chance that Jack wouldn't return in his lifetime.

Knowing Jack had forever where he would be lucky to live to 30 had Ianto worried too. How soon after his death would Jack take to replace him? Would Jack remember him in a 1000 years time, even 100?

These thoughts fly out his mind as he opens the door to reveal Jack.

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Jack and Ianto stand in front of each other, each breathless at the sight of the other.

Ianto stammers, "You look..."

"Wow." Jack grins broadly at the sight in front of him.

Ianto lets his eyes roam Jack's body taking in every little detail.

Jack smiles as he realises Ianto was wearing the same jeans as he had been when they had first meet.

"You look amazing." Jack grins again before stepping in to place a tender kiss on Ianto's lips. "Love the shoes by the way."

"Thanks." Ianto blushes slightly, still not able to take compliments. "Jestine and Tosh made me wear them."

"Ah, Jestine ordered you what to wear too." Jack chuckles.

"Yeah, I think we need to watch out for her, before you know it she'll be in charge of Torchwood with all the orders she's giving out." Ianto laughs.

"I know. I brought wine." Jack holds up the bottle that Jestine had insisted on him bringing.

"I'll just put it away for later then." Ianto smiles before taking the wine to the kitchen with Jack following behind, no doubt checking out his arse.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you in those jeans?" Jack ghosts over Ianto's neck as he wraps his arms around him.

"You look good too." Ianto grins as he turns in Jack's grip so he could look at his lover.

"You sure?" Jack asks, sounding just a little self-conscious.

Ianto chuckles at the infamous Captain Jack Harkness being unsure of himself.

"I'm sure." Ianto answers before capturing Jack's lips.

"We should really get going." Ianto pants as him and Jack separate for breath.

"Yeah wouldn't want to be late." Jack replies more than a little disappointed at having to move from his current position.

"We can pick up from here later." Ianto smirks at Jack before moving from the embrace and going to grab his keys.

"You are not driving tonight, all you have to do is to just enjoy yourself." Jack takes the keys from Ianto's hands and places them back in the bowl by his door.

"We aren't using the SUV are we, what if Jestine needs it?" Ianto looks to Jack.

"Nope, we have something special for tonight." Jack answers while leading Ianto to the car.

"Wow." Ianto gasps as he sees the car.

"I know." Jack grins, loving seeing Ianto in his jeans.

"Where did you get it?" Ianto asks as he reaches out to stroke the car.

"Jestine let me borrow it for the night." Jack chuckles as he watches Ianto caress the car.

"Where did she get it from?" Ianto raises an eyebrow.

"Don't know, she only told me she knew a guy." Jack answers as he moves around to the driver's side.

"How did she know?" Ianto asks in wonder as he slips in the passenger's side.

"Know what?" Jack looks over to Ianto.

"This was my dream car growing up." Ianto answers while looking over the car.

"Really?" Jack looks at Ianto in puzzlement, the car having been made long before Ianto was even born.

"Always preferred the classics, they just seemed nicer." Ianto shrugs.

"I know what you mean." Jack smiles. "For all the upgrades cars have now, none beat the beauty of the classics."

"Whoa, listen to that engine, I'm sure that's not the one it came with." Ianto gasps as Jack starts the engine.

"I know, she got it upgraded, not sure if it's all human technology." Jack chuckles before pulling out.

"Can I drive it on the way home?" Ianto asks as they whiz past the neighbourhood, towards the restaurant.

"Whatever you want." Jack briefly squeezes Ianto's leg before returning it to the steering wheel.

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Jack and Ianto make it to the restaurant in good time.

"You ready?" Jack asks as he opens Ianto's door for him, playing the perfect gentleman.

"As I ever will be." Ianto admits.

"Hey, you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Jack struggles to contain the hurt in his voice, telling himself it was because Ianto wasn't used to being seen out with a man, not that he didn't love him.

"We can just go back to your place and have take-out."

"No, its ok, I didn't mean it like that. It's just been so long since I've been on a date. I'm really nervous about this." Ianto clarifies, not wanting to give Jack the wrong idea.

"I know what you mean, I've never been this nervous before, and it's been decades since I've been on a date." Jack admits, hoping to put Ianto as ease.

"What have you got to be nervous about?" Ianto could not imagine Jack being nervous about anything, let alone a date, especially with someone like him.

"It's been a long time, and I really want this to go well. I love you so much Ianto that it scares me sometimes." Jack grabs Ianto's hand.

"I love you too Cariad, now lets get inside for a meal." Ianto presses a quick kiss to Jack's mouth before leading him into the restaurant. Jack can't help but beam at Ianto holding his hand, the Welshman becoming more comfortable with public displays of affection.

"Table for two for 7 o'clock. Under the booking Harkness." Ianto informs the maîtred'.

"Ah, yes, friends of Rachel. Right this way." She smiles before leading them through the restaurant.

"Rachel?" Jack asks quizzical.

"Jestine maybe?" Ianto replies with an eyebrow rise before they reach the table.

Ianto is impressed with where they had been placed. It was to the side, the table slightly more private than the rest and over looking the bay.

"Rachel requested this table especially so we hope it meets your standards." The maîtred' smiles at them again before leaving to send someone over with the menus.

"So you think Jestine knew them at one stage as Rachel?" Jack asks as they sit down.

"After everything we have learnt the last few days I really wouldn't be surprised." Ianto answers while looking out onto the bay.

"Great view." Jack comments as he too looks out the window before grabbing Ianto's hand underneath the table.

Ianto surprises Jack once more by this time moving their hands so they were resting on the table.

"So they know you're mine." Ianto blushes when he notices Jack looking at their hands.

Jack chuckles, loving that Ianto cared enough to want to show he was his.

"I love being yours." Jack smiles across at Ianto, enjoying that view so much more than the one of the bay.

"I don't find it that bad either." Ianto smirks before the waitress returns.

"This is from the owner. Rachel told us this was your first date and she wanted it to be something special for you both. And any friend of Rachel's is a friend of ours." The waitress produces a bottle of champagne and fills their glasses.

"Thank you so much, please pass on our gratitude to the owner, and it is a pleasure to be dinning at his restaurant." Jack beams at the waitress.

"It is nothing after everything Rachel and her family has done for us." The waitress smiles once more before handing them their menus.

"When you have decided just call one of us over and we will be happy to take your order." The waitress leaves them to decide on their food.

"What do you think she has done?" Ianto asks Jack as they look through the menu.

"No idea, with her it could be anything." Jack shakes his head while smiling, amazed at the newest recruit of the team.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ianto smiles back, he too amazed at Jestine, the girl was so young yet had experienced so much pain but still went on.

"So what are you thinking of getting?" Jack looks over to Ianto, admiring the way the candle light flickered across his face.

"I'm not sure, do you want any starters though?" Ianto asks.

"I thought maybe we could share some Oysters Kilpatrick, if you want."

"Do you really need any help with your sex drive?" Ianto laughs before agreeing to the dish.

"Oh, you know full well that I have no problem at all with my sex drive, but if you want I can give you a demonstration after this." Jack raises his eyebrows suggestively.

"I might just take you up on that offer." Ianto smirks at Jack while rubbing his leg up Jack's, causing the other man to shiver in anticipation, before turning his attention back to the menu.

"Have you decided on the main?" Ianto asks Jack as he skims through the menu.

"I was thinking maybe the Tortellini Valentino, what about you?" Jack unconsciously strokes Ianto's hand.

"I heard that's really good here, I was going to go with the Ravioli Ortolani." Ianto replies, smiling at Jack stroking his hand, enjoying being in his lovers company without having to worry about an alarm going off any second to inform them that the world was ending once again.

"Good choice." Jack signals over to a waitress that they were ready to order.

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Jack and Ianto sat in a comfortable silence as they waited for their entrée.

"I'm really sorry I just left you, I thought it was my only chance to get fixed." Jack sighs looking deeply into Ianto's eyes.

"It's ok, I understand. I missed you so much though." Ianto reaches up to stroke Jack's cheek.

"I missed you too. I thought I would never see you again." Jack leans into Ianto's touch.

"Me too." Ianto sighs.

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long, The Doctor told me he would have me back within a couple of days." Jack confesses.

"I didn't understand to begin with why none of you would look at me. And then there was Jestine." Jack chuckles.

"I wish he had gotten you home sooner. But I am glad that we have Jestine. She was so helpful while you were gone." Ianto smiles softly at Jack.

"I'm just glad she was there to save you. I don't know what I would have done if I had come back and found you gone." Jack struggles to hold back tears, remembering the torture The Master had put him through, watching his team die.

"Hey, its ok, it's ok." Ianto sooths as he leans over to gently kiss Jack on the lips, to reassure him that it was all gone and that he was alive.

"I love you so much it hurts to think that one day you will die and I'll be alone again." Jack whispers as Ianto pulls away.

"I love you so much too. Let's not worry about the future, let's just enjoy tonight." Ianto squeezes Jack's hand.

"Every moment I'm with you is so enjoyable." Jack blushes at the corniness of his comment.

"Same for me." Ianto smiles at Jack before the waitress came over with their meal.

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"What we've got." Jestine asks as she walks over to Andy at the crime scene she had been called out to.

"Two IC one males, one fatality, one seriously wounded after a fall from a fifth-floor window onto a police vehicle" Andy replies.

"You on your own again?" Andy asks as he looks around to see anymore of the Torchwood team.

"Yeah, the others got an early night." Jestine smiles.

"You got the short straw then?" Andy asks as they make their way up the path.

"Nah, I volunteered for it."

"Why would you do that?" Andy shakes his head, never having known anyone to volunteer for night shifts.

"The others had things on and had I not Ianto would never had agreed to go on his date."

"Date, how did he find time to get a date?" Andy was sure Ianto spent all his time working at Torchwood. Ianto and Jestine always seemed to be the ones at the crime scenes at night.

"That's probably why it's with Jack." Jestine answers as she looks at the damage the burglar caused from falling onto the squad car.

"Jack, the one in the flashy coat and cocky smile?" Andy had never really liked Jack, the way he just swooned onto every scene like he owned the place.

"Yes, that Jack, but he really isn't that bad once you get to know him." Jestine laughs at Andy's assessment of Jack.

"Never would have put Ianto as a bender." Andy musses.

Jestine whips around so fast Andy is surprised she didn't get whiplash. "Do not ever let me hear you refer to anyone as bender again. And it does not matter if someone is a "bender" or not." Jestine glares at Andy.

"Sorry." Andy puts his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean it like that. Sorry." He sounds more than a little scared, remembering what she had done to the guy handcuff to the pole a couple of days earlier.

"Good." Jestine mutters before moving into the house and leaving Andy behind.

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"Wow that was amazing." Ianto sighs as he puts his fork down.

"I know." Jack grins back.

"You want any desert?" Ianto asks about to signal the waitress that they were finished with their meal.

"I thought we could get some to take home." Jack grins suggestively.

Ianto blushes slightly while nodding.

"How was your meal?" The waitress asks as she clears away their meal.

"It was wonderful, please send my regards to the chef." Jack answers, almost blinding her with his smile.

"Glad you enjoyed it sir, what about you?" She asks turning to Ianto.

"It was some of the best Ravioli Ortolani I have ever had." Ianto smiles at the waitress.

"Glad you both enjoyed it." "Would you like anything for desert?" The waitress asks as she begins clearing the dishes.

"Is it possible to get it to go?" Ianto asks while rubbing his leg up Jack's, causing the other man to shiver.

"Sure, everything on the menu can be made to go, I'll just go get it and then you can let me know once you have made your choice." The waitress moves off once more, leaving the two men alone.

"That Mr. Jones was very naughty of you." Jack smirks. "I think you need to be punished."

"Oh, that's just the beginning, I've been a very naughty boy." Ianto smirks back, loving where this was heading.

"Oh, I so can not wait to get you home for your punishment." Jack grins broadly, leaning over and capturing Ianto's lips in a passionate kiss.

Their kiss is broken by a light cough to their side. Ianto blushes as he sees the waitress waiting patiently for them.

"Sorry to disturb you, but here are the desert menus, just let me know when you are ready to order." She smiles sweetly before moving away.

"You alright?" Jack chuckles as he notices Ianto's blush.

"Yeah, just didn't realise she was there." Ianto smiles softly.

"So what do you want for desert?" Jack looks through the menu, already knowing none of the food would taste as good as the Welshman sitting in front of him.

"Other than you, I though we could share a Tira Mi Sú." Ianto smirks.

"Or we could stop by the shops and grab ice cream, toppings and whipped cream. I would like to try a Jack sundae." Ianto smiles suggestively at Jack.

"Um, whatever you want." Jack splutters, not yet use to this more confident and seductive Ianto but knowing he loved it.

"Good." Ianto smirks before calling over the waitress, ordering on Tira Mi Sú to go, and asking for the nearest supermarket open at this time of night.

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Jestine scans the room over, hoping to get a clue to what had caused this and hoping it was something simple so she wouldn't have to call the others.

"Bit weird, this one. Might be one of yours. Nobody saw anything, heard anything. Blah, blah, blah. The usual. Don't know why we bother asking." An officer comments as he walks into the room to give Jestine a run down on what had happened.

"Oh, you aren't allowed here, it's a crime scene, would you mind leaving." He speaks as he sees Jestine's face, realising how young she was.

"Don't worry, I'm meant to be here." Jestine flashes her torchwood id at him.

"Bit young aren't you?" He looks at her worried, this job was no place for children.

"Older than I look." Jestine replies.

"Anything you can tell me?" Jestine asks now she was done scanning the room.

"In my opinion, the husband did it. He was looking for trouble, expecting to be burgled." He replies, Jestine watching with mild interest to his reasons for such.

"Why would you think that?" Jestine asks politely, information was useful no matter where the source.

"Yeah, look. No other reason I can think of for keeping sports equipment in the bedroom." He replies while motioning to the bloodied cricket bat lying on the floor.

"Oh, you would be surprised at what else sports equipment can be used for." Jestine smirks before dismissing the officer.

Jestine takes out her phone to record the details for the others to hear the next day.

"No glass inside, so it was definitely broken out. Police say the stab wounds were caused by some sort of long, narrow blade. No weapons in the room could have done this. So how the hell did they manage it?" Jestine comments as she looks at the burglar's body.

"Husband was unconscious, and the wife probably weighs less than I do. Seems unlikely either of them could have done it without training and/or alien tech." Jestine musses before packing up to head to the hospital.

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"Thank you." Ianto smiles as the waitress brings over their food.

"Could I get the check?" Jack asks, not wanting Ianto to pay.

"Jack, I can get it."

"No need to worry gentlemen. The check has already been taken care of by Rachel." She smiles at them.

"Oh, ok, that settles that then." Jack replies, surprised at Jestine taking care of the bill.

"That was nice of Jestine." Ianto comments as he and Jack leave the restaurant hand in hand.

"I know." Jack answers as he looks across at Ianto, amazed at how handsome the Welshman looked in the light of the lamps.

"So supermarket then home?" Ianto asks seductively.

"I don't know if I can wait that long." Jack growls as he captures Ianto's lips.

"Jack, we can't, its Jestine's car." Ianto half-heartily tries to get Jack stop. He had always fantasised about doing it in the back seat of a Ford GT40 MK1.

"I'm sure what she doesn't know what hurt her." Jack grins, knowing that Ianto wanted this as bad as he did.

"You Captain Jack Harkness are a terrible influence." Ianto grins as he pushes Jack into the back seat.

"And what are you going to do about that Jones, Ianto Jones." Jack grins up at Ianto.

"I think I'm going to have to teach you a lesson." Ianto smirks before leaning down and kissing Jack passionately.

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"So where to now?" Owen asks as he wraps his arm against Tosh.

"How about we head back to my place for dinner." Tosh suggest, snuggling up to Owen, loving his smell.

"Your wish is my command." Owen grins, leading Tosh to his car.

"So what did you think of the movie?" Tosh asks Owen as he drives along to her place.

"It was ok I guess." Owen shrugs.

"Did you pay attention to any of it?" Tosh asks.

"Is it my fault I had a beauty in my arms distracting me?" Owen grins at Tosh before returning his gaze to the road.

Tosh just giggles at Owen's statement, so happy that she had finally had the courage to tell Owen her feelings.

"Do you think things would be different if Jack hadn't left and Jestine hadn't come?" Tosh asks as she and Owen walk up the stairs to her apartment.

"I don't know Tosh. Probably." Owen sighs, knowing that they certainly would not be together if Jestine had never joined.

"I guess so." Tosh replies, leaning in closer to Owen, glad that Jestine had encouraged her to tell Owen how she felt.

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"So what do you think Jestine's big secret is?" Tosh asks as she and Owen wait for the take out they had ordered arrived.

"Um, what do you mean big secret?" Owen pales.

"You know, how she won't tell us her real name or her parents, yet she knows all about us." Tosh ponders.

"Oh, yeah, well I think it's the same with Jack, we don't know anything about his past either." Owen replies, wishing Tosh would drop it.

"Yeah I know. Wouldn't it be funny if Jestine were Jack's child and she's here to get to know him?" Tosh laughs, thinking it was a ridiculous idea.

Before Owen has a chance to reply the doorbell chimes in, announcing the arrival of their food.

"I'll get it." Owen practically leaps off the couch to get the food.

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"Ok, Mrs and Mr Halloran, I just need you to tell me what happened tonight." Jestine explains as she swaps Mike.

"You are bit young for police aren't you?" Beth looks at the girl.

"Not the police." Jestine answers as she finishes her test. "Now, is there anything you saw or heard that was unusual?"

"I didn't see anything. We all heard this weird noise, then the next thing I know, I'm in the corner and he's just sitting there, dead. The other one was just gone." Beth replies, looking confused by the whole thing.

"And then what?" Jestine tries to encourage Beth on.

"Nothing. I just stayed there till the police arrived. Couldn't move. I should've checked on Mike." Beth looks at her husband guiltily.

"Don't be silly. You did the right thing. I'm fine." Mike tries to calm down his wife.

"Quiet, you. The doctor said you should rest."

"I don't think the doctor meant my mouth." Mike reason.

"Actually, he did. He was very specific. He said no talking for a whole week." Beth replies deadpanned.

"Lies, lies. Why so many lies?" Mike laughs.

Jestine looks down at her phone, currently analysing the results. She reads over them for a second before shaking her head, the results negative.

"Ok, thanks for your time. I'll let you get some rest now." Jestine smiles politely at them before leaving the room.

"Not a trace of blood on their hands, either of them." Jestine speaks into her phone, recording it all.

"No logical explanation so far, preliminary thoughts are there is alien involvement although no indication yet as to what kind. Going to wait and see when the burglar regains consciousness if he remembers anything." Jestine finishes her recording.

Jestine looks over the chart information for the burglar before sighing and moving back into the corridor.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Fuck you're gorgeous." Rhys pants as he pushes Gwen onto the bed.

The dinner had gone well and they were eager to make the most of the night.

Gwen smiles up at him before pulling him into a mind blowing kiss.

Rhys lets his hands run up and down Gwen's body, cupping her breast as he moves his mouth along her neck, sucking slightly.

Rhys works his way down Gwen's body slowly before finally reaching her waistband.

He is just about to pull them down when Gwen's phone goes off.

He growls in frustration as Gwen moves to get.

"I swear if that is fucking Harkness again." Rhys mutters as Gwen talks on her phone.

"Shit, really."

"You sure you don't need anyone to come in."

"If you are sure. No it's ok, I understand."

"Yeah, I don't mind."

"Ok then, see you tomorrow then." Gwen replies before hanging up.

"You have to go don't you." Rhys sighs, Gwen's work always getting in the way of their sex life, although it had gotten better when the Jestine girl joined.

"No, I don't." Gwen smiles.

"That was just Jestine. Something came up so she needs me on call while she sorts it out." Gwen grabs Rhys to continue what they were doing before the call.

"Isn't there someone else to be doing it?" Rhys asks as Gwen pushes him down.

Gwen sighs, not knowing how to explain it to Rhys with out making him angry, she did understand that Torchwood was causing a strain on their relationship but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"The others are busy." Gwen replies.

"So were we." Rhys grumbles.

"I know. It's just that the others have only just found each other and Jestine and I want them to be happy like you and I are."

"Jestine knows that she can call me because you are so understanding and our relationship is so stable. She knows I have the most gorgeous fiancée ever and that he will understand if I have to rush off." Gwen tries to grovel her way out.

"The things I do for you." Rhys smiles before flipping Gwen over so he was now in charge.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Ianto and Jack break apart, panting hard.

"God, you're so hot." Ianto murmurs as he sucks at Jack's collarbone, causing the other man to groan deeply, sending a shiver down Ianto's cock.

"Fuck it Ianto, you keep doing that and I'm going to come right now." Jack groans as Ianto's tongue flickers across the hickey that Ianto had just given him.

"You're not coming till I let you." Ianto growls, taking control, causing Jack's cock to get even harder.

Ianto had never been more turned on in his life. About to finally fulfil his fantasy of doing it in a Ford GT40 MK1.

He pulls Jack into a deep passionate kiss while his hands pull apart Jack's shirt, sending the buttons flying, both men too lost in each other to notice.

Ianto runs his hands down Jack's smooth chest, winding up at his belt.

Ianto tugs at the belt, removing it smoothly before pushing Jack's jeans and boxers down in swift movements.

Ianto's pupils almost blow with lust as he looks down at Jack's cock, standing proudly, already dripping pre-cum.

Ianto waste no time, bending down and swallowing Jack whole, loving the taste of his lover as Jack groans deeply.

Ianto hollows out his cheeks, licking at Jack's cock as he fiddles in Jack's pockets for the lube he knows is there.

Ianto continues his assault on Jack's cock as he slicks up his fingers.

Jack groans deeply as he feels Ianto's fingers teasing his entrance.

"Fuck it Ianto." He moans at his lover's teasing.

Ianto chuckles as he breaches Jack's hole.

"Fuck." Jack calls out as he feels Ianto's finger brush his prostrate as Ianto chuckles, sending vibrations through his cock.

Ianto makes quick work of stretching Jack out, wanting his lover to come with him inside of him.

Jack gasps as Ianto lets his cock slip out of his mouth with a soft pop.

The gasp is quickly swallowed as Ianto devours his mouth.

Jack lets out a yell as he suddenly feels Ianto's cock pushing into his entrance.

"Fuck Ianto, fuck that feels so good." Jack groans as Ianto moves deeper within him.

"Love you so much." Ianto moans between kisses as he shifts till he knows he will hit Jack's prostrate.

"Love you more." Jack manages to squeeze in before Ianto thrusts deeply into him.

"Fuck, fuck, oh god you're good." Jack moans as Ianto continues to thrust into his prostrate.

"Come for me." Ianto growls, his voice deep with desire.

Ianto's ordering is enough to push Jack over the edge and he plunges into his orgasm, calling out Ianto's name loudly as his seed spills out over his and Ianto's abdomen.

"Oh God, oh God, Jack oh Jack." Ianto calls out as the tightening of Jack's muscles pulls him over to his own orgasm.

"I love you so much." Jack pants as he comes down from his high.

"Love you too." Ianto lazily kisses Jack before allowing his now soft penis to slide out of Jack, causing Jack to whimper slightly at the loss.

"Come on, if we don't hurry up the supermarket will be closed before we can get the supplies." Ianto winks suggestively.

Jack grins broadly as Ianto helps him up, his cock already responding again to Ianto's suggestion.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine sighs as she hangs up. She really was loathed to ring up Gwen, she hadn't wanted to interrupt any of the team's evenings.

Walking back into the room Jestine is startled to see that the burglar is awake and looking scared.

"Hey it's ok, you're safe. Just calm down. Who did this to you?" Jestine tries to calm the man while getting the vital information to working out this case.

"The woman ... in the flat, keep her away from me!" He yells panicky before flat lining causing the alarm to go off.

"Shit, shit." Jestine curses as the nurses rush in to try and save him.

She quietly moves out of the room, there being no purpose for her being there anymore, concerned only with trying to work out her next move.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Any closer to finding out anything about the Weevils?" Tosh asks as her and Owen sit eating the Thai they had ordered.

"Nah, nothing yet." Owen admits. The Weevils had been stumping him since he had started working there.

"Although I thought I might try and get Jestine to see if she can communicate with the psychically."

"Hope it leads somewhere." Tosh smiles, aware of how frustrating Owen found the Weevils and not knowing anything about them.

"Do you miss it?" Tosh asks after a few minutes of silence.

"Miss what?" Owen looks confused.

"Miss life pre-Torchwood?" Tosh clarifies.

Owen sighs, trying to work out how to answer and the answer.

"I do some days and some days I don't." Owen replies.

"Like there are days where I wish I had never lost Katie and other days I'm so glad for the opportunity I have had to study so much no one else has got to." Owen's eyes sparkle as he thinks of all the wonder he experienced each and every day.

Tosh smiles wisely, feeling the same way, it was hard some days but they had access to things many people would only ever dream about.

"How about you, do you miss your mum?" Owen asks carefully, Tosh having already told him about just how she had come to work at Torchwood.

"Every day." Tosh sighs, her mother had been what she had been trying to save and ended up what she lost.

"Hey, it's ok, it's ok, I've got you now." Owen brings her in to a hug, knowing it was always a tough topic for Tosh. Not that he could blame her, he was the same with Katie some days.

"Thank you Owen." Tosh smiles, knowing that no matter what Torchwood threw at her, she knew she could continue on because of the support of not just Owen but the rest of the team as well.

"No, thank you Tosh. Without you and everyone else I know I would not have been able to have continued after Katie. Even after Diana." Owen pulls Tosh in even closer.

"I'm glad you did though." Tosh smiles, leaning to gently place a kiss on Owen's lips.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack pushes Ianto through the door, hungrily devouring his neck, not caring as the groceries they had just purchased were dropped on the ground.

Jack pushes Ianto up against the wall, crushing their groins together, causing a moan to ripple through them both.

"I want you." Jack growls as his hands roam down Ianto's torso before grabbing a nipple and teasing it until it was rock hard.

"I want you in me now." Ianto moans as Jack brings his head down to the other nipple and using his talented tongue to make it hard in seconds and have Ianto shaking with lust.

Jack roams down Ianto's body, his tongue lapping up the taste that was his Welshman.

Jack is just reaching for Ianto's belt when his phone starts to ring.

"Fuck, fuck." Jack growls at the distraction.

"No, Jack, please just leave it." Ianto pleads, his eyes glazed over with desire.

Jack looks at Ianto with great disappointment, wishing he could just ignore it but knowing the world could be at risk if he didn't answer it.

"Yes?" Jack asks curtly.

"Jack, I need your help. I won't go into the details but two men have ended up dead and something doesn't add up. I'm so sorry for interrupting your date but please I need your help with this." Jestine pleads with Jack.

Jack sighs heavily as he puts his phone back in his pocket.

"We have to go in." It's a statement not a question from Ianto's lips.

"Yes." Jack answers disheartened. "Jestine needs help with a case."

Ianto nods, picking up the groceries and quickly putting them away as quickly as possible.

"Ok, ready to go." Ianto smiles sadly at Jack. "Once this is done we will make full use of the supplies." Ianto smirks before leading Jack out of the flat and locking up.

"I'm going to hold you to that Mr. Jones." Jack smirks too as he grabs hold of Ianto's hand as they rush to the car.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Sorry about interrupting your date." Jestine looks at Jack and Ianto sadly as the come down on the lift, both clutching the others hand.

"What we've got?" Jack asks, moving over to Jestine's monitor.

"Burglars broke into the Halloran's flat. One ends up thrown out the window, the other dead, with multiple stab wounds caused by an unknown narrow blade. Husband knocked out before this happened and wife doesn't recall seeing anything unusual. Neither have traces of blood on them. The burglar thrown from the window now deceased but prior to death was yelling "The woman ... in the flat, keep her away from me." Jestine explains as she brings up the crime scene photos.

"So it was either the wife or the husband." Jack musses.

"That's not all." Jestine interrupts Jack's thoughts.

Jack raises an eyebrow, indicating Jestine to continue.

"I tried to get a read from both the husband and wife. Both appeared normal on the surface, worried about each other, scared about the burglary and pleased to be alive." Jestine explains.

"But when I tried to dig a little deeper with the wife I encountered a block. It was like there was something blocking certain information and when I tried to push through the barriers my brain was zapped." Jestine finishes, giving Jack and Ianto time to digest the information.

"What does that mean?" Ianto asks, still new to the telepathic thing.

"Normally you can or can't read a person. Obviously some people are clearer than others but if you can read some of a person's mind you can read all of it." Jestine explains.

"Unless you have training or something to block it, neither of which is available in 21st century Cardiff." Jack finishes Jestine's explanation.

"So defiantly some kind of alien activity, we just don't know what yet?" Ianto clarifies.

"It doesn't have the hallmarks of anything I've seen or heard before." Jestine mutters while typing away at her computer, trying to find some information that could help them break the case.

"I think we need to bring the wife in then." Jack orders.

"Ok, on it." Jestine looks at Jack and Ianto guiltily for interrupting their date.

"It wasn't your fault." Jack calls out to her as she leaves.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, lots of Janto, cause they just take over, the next one should be the last for Sleeper, should be up probably during the weekend. After that it may be a while as I may fiddle with the order of the episodes to fit my story, please let me know what you thought of this chapter, reviews make my day, have fun**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter seventeen now done, sorry it has been a while, this chapter kinda had its own mind, didn't plan on the events in this to happen but once it came to me just couldn't get rid of it, also somehow I have managed to get an addiction to free cell, the next chapter should finish with sleeper, if not then defiantly the one after, then the episodes will probably be out of order, just to suit the story line, mild Gwen bashing in this chapter, I do try my best to not bag her too much but this did slip in, some swearing, but other than that a pretty tame chapter, hope you enjoy it, please review and tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Torchwood Jack and Ianto would have expressed their feelings for each other sooner and Jack wouldn't have let Ianto go with him to face the 456, as this did not happen Torchwood belongs to RTD and BBC **

"Beth is in the interview room." Jestine reports to Jack as she enters the room.

"Good, I'll be there after we have caught everyone up" Jack looks up from the research that Ianto had managed to find, although there wasn't much.

"I think we should sedate her a bit." Jestine suggest, looking at Jack for permission.

"You can't, she hasn't done anything." Gwen protests.

"Two men are dead because of her." Jestine glares at Gwen.

"You don't know that." Gwen glares back.

Jestine snorts. "Good as know."

"No you don't, none of us know what happened and sedating Beth will just cause her to distrust us and refuse to talk."

Jestine rolls her eyes. "Unlike the police I have ways to make uncooperative people talk."

"No you can't, you just torture people to get your way. You wouldn't be doing this if she were alien." Gwen starts to raise her voice.

"This had nothing to do if she is alien or human, she can't be trusted and we need to keep ourselves and the world safe." Jestine glares at Gwen.

"It does and you know it. When ever it's an alien you are always so compassionate to them but as soon as a human is involved you suggest things like sedatives." Gwen glares at Jestine.

"I do not." Jestine yells at Gwen.

"Do to." Gwen retorts.

"This is not helping." Jack interrupts the two.

"Nor will be giving a known killer the opportunity to kill us." Jestine continues to glare at Gwen.

"You don't know she did it." Gwen yells at Jestine.

"It doesn't matter, there is a good chance she knew what happened in there and that she is a threat to us and this planet." Jestine pounds her fist on the table.

"Stop this now." Jack yells over the top of the arguing women.

"Look I understand you want to be all compassionate and all that, but sometimes you have to be tough with them, never give them an inch or they will take a meter." Jestine explains.

Owen snorts at this.

"Something funny?" Jestine glares at Owen.

"The saying is "don't give them an inch or they'll take a **mile,**" you used two different methods of measurement." Ianto explains.

Jestine rolls her eyes. "Sorry, not like you have a million of them or anything."

"Sometimes we do need to take extreme measures and it doesn't matter whether they are alien or human, all creatures at treated the same." Jack interrupts, hoping to get back on topic without any more fights.

"We won't sedate her at all, but we will cuff her." Jack orders, hoping it would quell the argument till at least after the case was solved.

"Ok, whatever, we won't sedate her, just don't come running to me when she kills you." Jestine raises her arms in defeat before moving to her chair.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So what have we got so far?" Tosh asks now that the fighting was done with for now.

"Not much." Jestine replies as she brings up the little information they had managed to pull up so far.

"Burglary gone wrong." Jestine starts to explain.

"One burglar ended out the window, now dead, the other with stab wounds causes by some sort of long narrow blade, nothing of that description found at the crime scene."

"So, that's got what to do with us?" Owen snipes, wishing he were still on his date with Tosh.

"The husband was unconscious, and the wife probably weighs less than I do, so there should be no way the burglar should have ended up out the window. The stab wounds don't look like anything that could have been made from any human technology, at least not for a few hundred years. It has all the signs of alien tech and/or knowledge." Jestine continues.

"So just cause you think it isn't possible you think it's ok to handcuff some innocent woman after she has had an attempted robbery of her place?" Gwen shots daggers at Jestine.

"That isn't it." Jestine briefly glares at Gwen.

"If she were alien you would have sent her on her way already." Gwen returns the glare.

"Shut the fuck up would you." Jestine glowers at Gwen.

"Jestine." Jack warns her leave it and continue with the explanation.

"Just before the second burglar died he was calling out to have the women from the flat kept away from him."

"So because some low life wanted her kept away from him you are going to assume she is out to destroy the world?" Gwen's voice filled with venom.

"Just cause he is a burglar does not make him a low life and there is more." Jestine leans on the table threatening, almost daring Gwen to make another remark.

"Jestine just explain it." Jack growls, sick of the bickering between the two.

Jestine glares at Gwen once more before continuing.

"I tried to get a read on both the husband and Beth. Both checked out on the surface but when I tried to dig deeper with Beth there was something blocking me."

"So maybe she has barriers, maybe she could feel you invading her privacy and didn't like it." Gwen stares Jestine down.

"You interrupt me one more fucking time, I swear to God." Jestine moves round the table until she is standing over Gwen.

"Jestine." Jack warns as he pulls her back.

"How the hell you put up with all her "morals"." Jestine mutters as she moves back to her original place.

Jack glares at both the team members.

"When it comes to being able to block someone reading your mind you either block them completely or not at all." Jack explains.

"For someone to be able to control what is able to be accessed like that is not natural, especially against someone like Jestine. Very rarely with a lot of training you can do it, or with alien technology. Either way, Beth is not an innocent party here, but it is our job to work out what happened."

"Why is Jestine so special?" Gwen questions Jack.

"I have had a lot of training and both my parents had quite strong psychic abilities. Basically I'm one of the strongest people in the universe when it comes to being able to read people's minds." Jestine replies, her voice void of emotion as if she were just reciting facts.

"Full of yourself much." Gwen snorts.

"No, not really, it is all true, anyone with the same heritage and training as me would be the same." Jestine shrugs.

"Yeah cause that's likely." Owen snorts, causing Jestine to glare at him.

"What you mean by that?" Jack asks, intrigued by Owen's comment and Jestine's reaction, he was sure they were keeping something from him.

"He means nothing by it." Jestine answers for Owen.

Jack sizes Jestine up for a few moments, trying to figure out just what Jestine was hiding.

"Have you ever seen weapons that could cause this kind of wound?" Ianto asks Jestine as he looks over the pictures.

"Hard to say. There seems to be a number of wounds crossed over each other, makes it hard to see where one ends and another starts." Jestine mutters as she takes a close look at the pictures.

"Looks like it was from a sword." Gwen tries to outdo Jestine.

"Not one you would get on Earth." Jestine corrects. "See look at the sides of the wounds. Those are definitely alien weapon marks."

"Any specific ones?" Jack asks Jestine, eager to know just what they were up against.

"Look it's going to take time to separate the different stab wounds but I think I could identify a few different weapons with the ability to leave those kinds of marks." Jestine answers, looking through the pictures.

"Good, you do that, Gwen you can help with the interview. Tosh work on any CTTV footage you can get of the event. I think you should prepare the autopsy bay for test, Owen, for if Beth doesn't cooperate. Ianto keep an eye on the interview." Jack orders.

"Jack I think it would be better if I come with you for the interview. See if I can get anything else from Beth." Jestine suggest just before Jack is about to leave the room.

"You can't let her." Gwen shrieks.

"Why not?" Jestine stares Gwen down.

"You already have condemned her, there is no way you would listen to anything she says, I won't let you." Gwen stands up, trying to intimidate the girl.

"You are so not in charge Gwen. I have had more experience in dealing with these kinds of things that you, I know when someone can be trusted and Beth can't be. So just let me do my job" Jestine replies before storming out of the room.

"You can't let her." Gwen turns to Jack.

"She won't be conducting the interview." As Jack answers, Gwen smirks, happy to be getting her way.

"But, having said that I do think it would be good for her to be in the room still to see if she can get anything from Beth. She has had a lifetime of dealing with aliens, if any of us are going to be able to work this out it will be her." Jack continues, causing the smirk to fall from Gwen's face.

"But you can't let her, you don't know what she will do, she obviously is unstable." Gwen tries to fight her case.

"I believe her to be one of the most stable people in this team." Jack answers before walking out of the room.

"You lot agree with me don't you?" Gwen looks around the room for support.

"I know she doesn't always do what you would do but she has seen so much out there. She knows about these things better than we do. And it was humans who basically condemned her father." Ianto explains.

"Still she doesn't have the right to invade people's privacy by reading their minds and locking them up just because she can't read as much as she likes. You wouldn't like it if she was reading your mind" Gwen defends herself.

"I wouldn't mind if I knew there was a good reason for it." Ianto answers.

"He's right." Owen adds. "Any advantage we can get we need to take in this job. And really from what I've seen sometimes humans are worse than aliens."

"I can't believe you are siding with her, she has no idea of what is right or wrong." Gwen glares at her teammates.

"What about you Tosh, surely you can understand what it's like." Gwen turns to Tosh, thinking that she of all of them would understand considering what she had been through at UNIT.

"Don't you dare try and compare this to what I have been through." Tosh yells at Gwen.

"UNIT didn't bother trying to get my side of the story, they just locked me up. That is not what we are doing here. I would have loved for them to have read my mind, then they would have realised that I wasn't a threat and that I only did it because the people had my mum hostage." Tosh storms out of the room.

"Can't you just leave it for once?" Owen glares at Gwen before running out after Tosh.

"She doesn't know any boundaries." Gwen grumbles to Ianto.

"She does what she thinks is best Gwen, you need to drop it now before you upset anyone else, because if it comes down to it, she will be chosen over you." Ianto answers sadly before he too exited the room, leaving Gwen to brood alone.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What the hell was that?" Jack asks as he and Ianto walk towards the interview room.

Ianto sighs. "You know how Gwen gets with her moral ground. And although Jestine isn't the most ethical person, she does what needs to be done."

"So that has happen before?" Jack asks with concern, the last thing he needed was his team tearing itself apart.

"A few times, once Gwen refused to talk to Jestine for a week."

"Shit." Jack curses. "Do you think its bad enough to put people at risk?"

"No, although they don't always agree ethically, they manage to burry the hatchet when they are needed to work together." Ianto grabs hold of Jack's hand, squeezing it to comfort him.

"Do you think Jestine is too lenient to aliens or too harsh with humans?" Jack asks, hoping it wasn't true, too tough he could handle but he couldn't have Jestine letting dangerous aliens go.

Ianto sigh. "Look I will admit she does tend to be more lenient with aliens but she still won't hesitate to shot when need be." Ianto answers.

"Ok, as long as she isn't putting anyone in danger with her actions."

"I don't think she would, she seems more than aware of what each alien is capable of and doesn't take any unnecessary chances, at least when it comes to others." Ianto musses.

"What do you mean, at least when it comes to others?" Jack asks, concerned.

"She doesn't seem to care about her own safety, she always made sure she was in the riskiest position." Ianto answers, it obvious by the tone of his voice this was not something he agreed with.

"Why?" Jack asks.

"I really don't know, but I think it's either her trying to prove herself or that she thinks she is more disposable than us." Ianto answers sadly.

"I think her mum abandoning her really hurt her more than she is willing to admit." Ianto suggest.

"Ok, we need to keep an eye on her then." Jack replies.

"Already doing it." Ianto replies, once again knowing what Jack needed before Jack did.

"So her and Gwen, how bad is it?" Jack asks.

"Not too bad, it only happens occasionally and they manage to work together professionally when they need to. Although I think it would help if you talk to them both." Ianto suggest.

"Ok, but it will need to wait till this is done." Jack sighs, not looking forward to it, knowing neither Jestine nor Gwen would be willing to back off.

"I know, you have my full support whatever you decide to do, as long as you don't decide on team bonding in the countryside." Ianto smiles at Jack.

"Never doing that again." Jack laughs before kissing Ianto briefly. He was so glad that that day in the countryside hadn't ended differently.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Hey Tosh you ok?" Owen asks as he finds her in one of the many corridors that make up the Torchwood Hub.

Tosh turns to face Owen, her face streaked with tears.

"Hey, come here." Owen pulls Tosh over, enveloping her in his arms.

"It's ok, they can't get you, you're safe." Owen mutters as he gently rocks Tosh.

"I'm sorry." Tosh mutters after a few minutes.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Owen squeezes her.

"I know I shouldn't let her get to me but it still hurts after all this time and we aren't the same here, are we?" Tosh looks pleading at Owen.

"We are nothing like them Tosh, we're the good guys remember." Owen gives her a small smile, hoping to raise her sprits a bit.

"Yeah, I guess so." Tosh sighs, snuggling closer to Owen.

"Tosh, Owen, the interview is starting now." Jack calls over the intercoms, breaking the moment between the two.

"Come on, let's go watch Jack in interview action." Owen grabs hold of Tosh's hand and encourages her along.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Tell me everything." Jack demands as he strides into the room, Jestine right behind him.

"Where am I? Where's my husband?" Beth asks as she looks around the room.

"He's safe." Is all Jack answers.

"What do you mean, safe?" What have you done with him?" Beth looks frantically around, hoping to find an exit but the only door being blocked by the girl from the hospital.

"Nothing yet." Jack leans on the table, looking threatening.

"Tell me what happened in the flat, Beth. It had to be you or Mike, so how did you do it?" Jack stares her down.

"You can't treat people like this. I've been burgled, attacked! I want a lawyer, I want a phone call. If you're charging me with something ..." Beth yells, struggling in the handcuff she had been placed in.

"We're not charging you with anything. We don't have to. And there'll be no lawyer, no phone calls, just us, and this room for as long as it takes. Now, tell me what happened!" Jack demands of Beth.

"I told her ... and the police." Beth answers indicating to Jestine.

"Please, I don't know anything!" Beth begs, looking towards the girl for help but receiving just a blank expression.

Jack gestures for Jestine to come over and takes the folder she had been carrying.

"Look at them." Jack orders as he lays out the photos of the injuries the burglars had suffered.

"The second one just died in the hospital. "Keep her away from me. The woman in the flat." Those were his dying words. Now, why would he say something like that?"

"I don't know, I swear. I never touched him." Beth pleads.

"Is it Mike? Are you covering for him?" Jack slams his fist on the table.

"No!" Beth yells as the lights flicker and go out.

Jestine raises an eyebrow that Jack can't see as he storms out of the room.

"I promise ... I promise I have no idea what happened to them. All I know is that it wasn't me." Beth pleads as Jestine walks out the room.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack walks over to where Owen and Ianto had been watching through the two-way mirror.

"Just us and this room for as long as it takes?" Terrifying. Ianto tells Jack deadpanned.

"Really?" Jack asks.

"Absolutely. Shivers down my spine." Ianto replies.

"You don't look scared." Jack looks Ianto up and down.

"Oh, it ... passed." Ianto replies, causing Jack to growl with disappointment.

"What the fuck was that?" Jestine asks as she storms across to the workstations.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Tosh replies.

"What about the light? Power surge?" Jack asks hopefully.

"Nothing from us. There was an electromagnetic build-up around her, but I can't see how she caused it." Tosh replies, looking slightly confused at the results.

"Same thing happened at the hospital, Jack. Can't be a coincidence." Jestine adds.

"It's her, I know it is." Jack mutters before turning to Owen.

"Okay, let's do some tests, see who or what we're dealing with." Jack orders Owen.

"I'm on it." Owen response as he leaves the room.

"Did you manage to get anything from her?" Jack asks Jestine.

"Not much, there is defiantly something hidden but I wasn't able to get into it before the lights went off." Jestine answers as she looks through the reports.

"I want you to see if you can get anything else from her, you can do them after Owen does his test, push as hard as you need to." Jack orders.

"Cool, done." Jestine answers, as she walks away.

"I'll get Beth." Gwen volunteers.

"Go ahead." Jack replies absentmindedly, watching Ianto walk around in his jeans.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So what is going on with you and Gwen?" Jack asks Jestine as he watches her make the coffees, something that unnerved him slightly how much like Ianto it was.

"Nothing." Jestine mutters as she grabs the mugs from the cupboard.

"Then what was with the performance in the meeting?" Jack grits his teeth, he did not need his team fighting amongst itself.

"It's nothing." Jestine answers offhandedly.

"That was not nothing, I need to know what is going on between you and Gwen now." Jack orders.

"Look we just have a difference of opinion, its nothing to worry about." Jestine glances at Jack.

"In this job we depend on each other, we risk our lives and need to be able to trust each other. That can't happen if you two are always arguing."

"It's nothing Jack, we just have differences of opinion about how to do things. We can work fine together." Jestine tries to end the conservation.

"That was more than differences of opinion. What is going on?" Jack demands of Jestine.

Jestine sighs. "Fine, ok, it was more than differences of opinion. She's right you know. If I knew Beth were an alien I would probably be a lot easier on her. It's just with aliens most of the time you can understand why they are doing what they are doing, humans are just so much harder to understand." Jestine leans against the bench, watching what Jack's reaction would be.

"Aliens can be difficult to understand to." Jack points out.

"I know to most people they are, but I've had so much experience with aliens that I know them, I've observed them in their natural environment, I've taken part in a number of their rituals, I've study their traditions. I feel more at home with them than I do with humans." Jestine confesses.

"You didn't get much interaction with other humans with The Doctor did you?" Jack asks, already knowing what trips with The Doctor were like.

"It was by choice too. I didn't want to face humans knowing what they did to my Tad." Jestine replies, her voice hitching a little bit.

"What did they do to him?" Jack asks, curious to see what more information he could get from the girl.

"They betrayed him and those that he worked with. They were just trying to save the world and the government tried to kill them all to cover up their mess." Jestine replies, her voice breaking through out the sentence.

Jack nods his head sadly, after living on earth for so long he was well aware of how some humans would turn on each other the second they were in trouble.

"You know we aren't all like that?" Jack asks Jestine softly.

"Yeah, I know, I've seen it, I've experienced it first hand but the bad still seems to out weigh it all."

"Some of the worse things done to me were at the hands of humans. It was aliens that I often found more accepting and welcoming." Jestine sighs.

"Look I'm really sorry for everything you have been through and wish I could change it for you. I can't though and you can't let what you have experienced to interfere with the way you work." Jack wishes so bad that he could fix the broken girl in front of him. What was it with Torchwood that attracted all the broken people?

"I know, I do try but this is the person I am. I understand how and why Gwen acts the way she does and it's right for her, but it isn't right for me. But it works, we balance each other out." Jestine explains.

"What do you think of Gwen's approach?" Jack asks curious to what Jestine really though of Gwen's method.

"It's right for Gwen, it's the kind of person she is and for her to change, I wouldn't want her to experience those things. It's not that I think her way is wrong, it's just I've seen what inaction does, I've seen what trying to do the right thing for everyone does. Sometimes you do have to do morally grey things in order to get the best outcome." Jestine explains.

Jack sighs, well aware of how true Jestine's words were. "But you can't just drug everyone we interview just in case they are a danger."

Jestine sighs. "I know, there just something about her that doesn't sit right. I just don't want to lose anyone."

"I know what you mean." Jack sighs as he sits down.

"It's hard isn't it?" Jestine asks as she fiddles with the coffee machine.

Jack looks up at the girl, not sure what she meant.

"You know, having been out there and having had all those experiences then coming here where alien interaction is so limited. Trying to explain to them all the terror but also all the beauty." Jestine explains.

Jack just nods, well aware of the feeling.

"Look I will try harder to think it through more "ethically" but when if it comes down to it I won't hesitate to do the tough thing." Jestine compromises.

"Good, I do understand how hard it is." Jack smiles at the girl before leaving.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What kind of tests?" Beth asks as Gwen leads her through the corridors.

"Just little things to clear this all up. Blood samples ..." Gwen starts to reply.

"Blood samples? I haven't done anything!" Beth protest.

"Look ... I believe you, but this is our job. Something really strange happened at your flat and we've got to make sure you had nothing to do with it." Gwen tries to comfort the women.

"I didn't."

"Then you've nothing to worry about. They are doing these tests whether you like it or not, Beth. Don't make this any harder on yourself. Come on" Gwen leads her to the main part of the Hub.

"This is where you work?" Beth asks in astonishment as she looks around The Hub.

"Yep. Cozy, isn't it?" Gwen smiles at her as she leads her along.

"Who are you people? Don't you have any windows?" Beth asks with a tinge of fear in her voice.

Tosh struggles to contain her giggle on overhearing the last comment.

"It wouldn't really be in keeping with the whole secrecy thing, people looking in, you know?" Gwen replies, wondering if she was this ignorant before she started.

Beth walks over and smells a piece of machinery.

"We don't sniff the subetheric resonator." Ianto calls out from somewhere behind her, causing Tosh to giggle again.

"Sorry." Beth mutters as she continues to walk.

Beth's eyes are wide with amazement as she looks around The Hub.

Her eyes widen even more as she lays eyes on the rift manipulator that Ianto had been working on.

"It's so big. This is crazy." Beth breaths out in wonderment at the sight before her.

"Yeah, its alright, not too bad for 19th century design." Jestine shrugs as she hands a coffee to Tosh. Gwen rolls her eyes, sure Jestine had seen lots but the Hub was still impressive no matter what she said.

"I suddenly feel very, very small." Beth whispers as she continues to look around.

" Come on. Let's just get these tests done. Then you can get home, okay?" Gwen tries to get Beth to the autopsy bay.

"Come on, Owen!" Gwen calls out to the doctor to let him know they were there.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Owen starts to explain what he is planning on doing. "We'll start with a few blood tests, nothing to worry about, just a little... needle." Beth gasps as she sees the needle.

Owen rolls his eyes at the reaction. "Not another one scared of needles."

"Who else.." Beth starts to ask before Jestine arrives.

"Got your,," Jestine calls out as she makes her way to the autopsy bay but stops dead as she sees the needle in Owen's hand.

"Oh, shit..I'm just going to leave it on your desk." Jestine mutters as she walks away, noticeably paler than when she had got there.

"Really, she's scared of needles, she seems so tough, unemotional?" Beth asks, her voice filled with surprise.

"Yeah, her only weakness." Jack chuckles. "She's been through a lot." Jack adds sadly.

"You mind if I continue?" Owen asks, annoyed at the interruption and wanting to avoid anything about what Jestine had been through.

"Go ahead." Jack indicates to Owen that they were done with the talking.

Owen tries to inject Beth's arm, only to have it break.

"Good thing Jestine wasn't here." Owen jokes as he looks at the needle.

"What?" Jack asks, wanting to get the test over and done with.

"Needle snapped." Owen holds up the needle to prove his point.

"Haven't you got a nurse to do this?" Beth asks nervously.

"He's a doctor. It's okay." Gwen tries to comfort Beth as Owen grabs another needle.

"Don't tense your arm." Owen warns before giving it a second go, only to have the needle break again.

"Ah, okay. Look, I'm not going to do this if you can't even ..." Beth starts to complain before Owen turns around with a scalpel. What are you doing?" Beth asks concern.

"Bear with me." Owen replies as he advances on her.

"Oi! Hey! Oh!" Beth tries to protest.

She struggles as Owen takes it to her skin. She holds her breath waiting for the pain but feels nothing so opens her eyes. She sees Owen standing there with a broken scalpel.

"When was the last time you were in hospital, Beth?" Owen asks curiously.

"I - I don't remember. I don't think I ever have. Why, what's wrong with me?" Beth struggles in her binds, dreading what was coming next.

"Well, any operations? Checkups?" Owen asks, his confusion plain to hear.

"No, nothing." Beth shakes her head.

When was the last time you felt ill? You had a cold? Anything?" Owen asks desperately.

"I don't think I ever have. I take a lot of vitamin C." Beth shrugs.

"Mm, hell of a lot I reckon." Owen musses as he drops the broken scalpel back on the tray.

"Okay, Beth. You make light bulbs blow, we can't break your skin. What planet are you from?" Jack asks, leaning on the railing in a threatening manner.

"Earth." Beth answers, confused and scared of what this group wanted from her.

"Stop wasting our time! We know you're an alien!" Jack yells at Beth.

There's no such thing as aliens." Beth replies scared.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Beth, Janet. Janet, Beth." Jack smirks as he slams Beth against the window to the Weevil enclosure.

"What is it?" Beth asks, her voice filled with fear.

"It's an alien. But you know that 'cause you are, too." He replies without any compassion.

"No, it's not." Beth denies, terrify.

"I'm not. I work in an office ..." Beth tries to plea with Jack.

"Why do you give off electro-magnetic waves? Why?" Jack demands.

I don't know! Stop it! Why are you doing this? I want Mike. I want to go home." Beth begs between sobs.

Jack stares as the Weevil groans and lowers its head submissively before backing away.

"Why is it doing that?" Beth yells backing away from the Weevil.

"I don't know. It's never done it before." Jack answers puzzled.

"This is real, isn't it?" Beth asks in shock as she comes to a realisation.

"Yeah."

I don't know about my skin, or any of that other stuff. I just - how can I prove it to you? How can I ... prove to you ... that I'm not an alien?" Beth struggles to contain her emotions.

Jack thinks a moment before dragging Beth away.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Jestine." Jack calls out as he leads Beth up to the main part of the Hub.

"You called?" Jestine asks, seeming to have appeared from nowhere, and with Jestine that was more than possible.

"Time for you to see what is hidden in Beth's brain." Jack informs her.

"Sweet, where are we doing it?" Jestine asks, as she looks Beth over.

"Interview room." Jack answers as he leads Beth over to the rooms.

"Cool, be in there once I've done the coffees." Jestine replies before heading back to the kitchen.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What's our next move?" Gwen asks Jack as he moves past with Beth.

"Jestine." Jack simply answers.

"What, no, you can't let her invade Beth's mind." Gwen protest.

"We need to, it's the only way we are going to be able to find out what happened in the apartment." Jack answers without stopping.

"I know you don't like it Gwen but sometimes things like this need to be done in order for us to be able to understand what we are up against." Jestine tries to explain as she hands Gwen her mug.

"We managed before." Gwen states.

"I know, but this can help us, we can find out sooner." Jestine tries to convince Gwen.

"Look I understand you don't like the thought of someone being able to invade your mind, but I promise I will never do it on you without your permission." Jestine offers Gwen.

"How will I know you aren't reading my mind?" Gwen asks, unsure about Jestine's deal.

"You are just going to have to trust me, although once this is done I can try and teach you how to block people from invading your mind. It won't make much of a difference for me but who knows it might come in handy one day." Jestine proposes.

Gwen sighs. "It's not that I don't trust you, just reading someone's mind is so personal, it's the only place you can keep from everyone else."

"I know, I do understand that everyone likes some level of privacy and I always try my best to respect that but sometimes I need to do it to save people." Jestine explains.

Gwen nods, she knew Jestine enough to know that the girl respected boundaries when they could be.

"It's just like I understand that you want to be as compassionate as possible."

"To tell the truth I envy you, that you still see the good in everyone." Jestine confesses.

"I know how much longer that will last." Gwen mutters darkly, well aware of what Torchwood turned people into.

"If you fight to keep yourself than it can last as long as you want it to." Jestine reassures Gwen.

"Then how come you didn't fight to keep yourself more compassionate?" Gwen asks Jestine.

"Cause I was never compassionate to begin with." Jestine answers sadly.

"The whole thing with your parents really screwed you up didn't it?" Gwen asks sadly.

Jestine smiles sadly. "That and other things, that's why you need to fight, why you need to stay compassionate. We can be a great team Gwen Cooper. We just need to learn how to balance each other out." Jestine pats Gwen on the shoulder awkwardly before moving off to the interview room.

Even though it was only a small gesture, Gwen felt herself fill with warmth. It hadn't taken Gwen long to realise that Jestine was not a touchy feely person, so a gesture like that meant so much coming from some one like Jestine.

Gwen sighs as she realises just how ridiculous the arguments between her and Jestine had been at times. Jestine was right, they could be part of a great team if they learnt to balance each other out.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So how is this going to work?" Beth asks nervously as she is seated once again in the interview room.

"All you need to do is just sit there and relax." Jestine explains as she sits down, making herself comfortable with a pencil and paper.

"Is this going to hurt?" Beth asks, worried about what was about to happen.

"It shouldn't but it could if you resist, so try and just let it happen, you might feel some slight pressure, don't worry if you do, it's completely normal and safe." Jestine explains to Beth, trying to be more compassionate.

"Go as hard as you can." Jack orders Jestine before giving his all clear for her to get started.

Beth sits there waiting for something to happen but at first nothing happens.

Then she realises that Jestine seems to be just staring into space or something.

"Is she ok?" Beth asks Jack, worried about what was wrong with the girl.

"She's fine, happens sometimes when you have to concentrate hard to get to someone's mind." Jack explains as he too watches Jestine.

"Ouch." Beth remarks after a minute or two.

"Something wrong?" Jack asks.

"Feels like the pressure is being increased in my head." Beth replies.

"That would be Jestine." Jack explains.

The light starts to flicker as it become obvious that Jestine is digging deeper.

Beth struggles in her binds, the pressure becoming more and more unbearable.

The lights start flickering more forcefully than before, the light fixtures themselves shaking.

Jack watches as the lights flicker worse and worse and Beth struggles in her binds even more.

Suddenly Beth starts to shake uncontrollably, the lights matching her rhythm.

Jack is just about to call a stop to the probing when he hears a blood-curling scream and the lights flicker even more violently once and then go out.

"Shit, I need lights." Jack calls out as he moves towards the sound of the scream.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Ianto and Owen rush into the room just as the lights flicker back on.

They look over to see Jestine collapsed on the floor surrounded by blood.

Owen runs over to see what is wrong with her.

He rolls her over to have a look at her head, it seemed to be the origin of the blood.

"Fuck." Owen curses as he sees Jestine's face.

Blood was pouring from every opening in her face, even the pores.

"What's wrong with her?" Ianto asks, his voice filled with worry.

"I don't know." Owen mutters as he finds a pulse.

"Owen, you need to shut down all her brain activity now." Jack orders.

"What?" Owen looks up, confused, he had never seen this before.

"Her brain basically short circuited." Jack explains as he moves over to help Owen carry Jestine.

"Ok." Owen helps Jack carry the girl to the autopsy bay, hoping that her secret wasn't about to be exposed.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Is she ok?" Ianto asks as Jack comes back from the autopsy bay.

"We don't know." Jack sighs.

"So what actually happened?" Tosh asks, her face still paled from the shock that had just occurred and from her concern about Jestine.

"She was in Beth's mind and the electromagnetic build-up, it would have blown her mind." Jack sighs again, not wanting to lose another team member, especially as it was his fault that Jestine was in this situation, he shouldn't have let her go that far, he shouldn't have put her in such danger.

The team look to Owen for answers as he walks in the room.

"She's basically dead." Owen mutters.

The others look at him in alarm, none of them wanting her to be dead.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asks shakily, sure she and Jestine often had arguments over the way to do things but they were still a team and they had built up a relationship of sorts.

"We had to shut off all brain activity." Jack explains.

"Why?" Ianto asks, his accent more pronounce when he was emotional.

"Her brain was overloaded with energy, would have burnt her. The fact that she could even scream is remarkable." Jack replies, his voice heavy.

"Her brain burnt?" Gwen asks, horrified at such a thought.

"Yeah, every neuron connection, every cell would have been on fire. And for someone like her that would be a lot." Jack's voice falters.

"But what about all that blood, surely that wouldn't be from her brain overloading?" Tosh asks, trying to deal with it her own way by trying to make sense of everything.

"Because there was such intense pressure it would have cause her blood vessels to burst." Jack explains.

"We had to stop all activity in her brain, try and protect whatever cells that were left from being damage any more, if she wakes up she probably won't be the same." Jack almost breaks down.

Ianto walks over to his lover and wraps his arms around him, there to comfort Jack and himself.

Jack leans against Ianto, his eyes clouding over with tears.

"What's the chance of her waking up?" Gwen asks, her own voice breaking several times.

"Not good. Things like this have happened through out history but I've only heard of one case where they woke up." Jack's voice muffled by Ianto's shoulder but the team all hears the heartbreaking news.

"What..What were they like, after?" Tosh stammers.

"Basically a vegetable." Jack answers.

Owen grabs hold of Tosh at this news, pulling her onto his lap, allowing her to cry into his shoulder.

"How long till we know?" Gwen asks between sobs, wishing for Rhys.

"I don't know, I've never known for anyone to wake from such a deep coma." Owen answers as he strokes Tosh's hair, he himself crying silently.

"It took five years for the guy to wake up." Jack answers from Ianto's embrace.

"What about those proteins found in Jestine's blood?" Ianto asks no one in particular.

"No idea, probably not." Jack answers.

"They tried them in the 24th century on children. Most died from complications with the protein."

"Others had faster healing times, slower ageing."

"Is that what is happening with Jestine?" Gwen asks, hopeful.

"It would seem like it, but I don't know how well it will work." Jack sighs,

"The protein came from a race called Tryitons, they lived on the planet Soonton. They are similar to humans but not quite." Jack answers,

"This caused all kinds of problems with the kids, like I said before, some died, but others got it much worse." Jack shivers as he thinks of the aliments that the children suffered.

"Some of the kids limbs fell off, others developed autoimmune diseases. Many went crazy as it also messed with the brain. Others became so sensitive to sunlight they had to live in complete darkness, couldn't even come out at night. The ones that showed the same symptoms as Jestine were tested to their limit, most of them dying within a year of the test beginning, so I don't know how much it will be able to help her." Jack buries his head into Ianto's shoulder as he finishes, soft sobs escaping.

"Wouldn't they have had the ability to fix those problems by then?" Gwen asks in confusion, surely by the 24th century they had worked out most medical problems.

"They did but because the protein was through out the body as soon as the treatment was complete the symptoms would develop again." Jack explains without even lifting his head from Ianto's shoulder.

The team just look at each other, each face reflecting the same sombre mood they each felt.

"Gwen go home to Rhys, just tell him a colleague got into an accident and is in a coma. Owen you and Tosh leave too." Jack orders from Ianto's shoulder. "We will continue with the case tomorrow but we can't do anything tonight."

None of the team argue with Jack, each shocked and sadden by the events of the evening and all needing some one to comfort them.

**Hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you think, till then have fun**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter eighteen now done, it is short but this just felt like the right place to finish or else it would have gone on forever, mostly a filler chapter, showing the characters thoughts on Jestine and their time at Torchwood. **_Thoughts are italic,_** I think I managed to get all the tenses right but if I haven't please let me know, the next chapter should be up around the weekend, thank you to everyone who have read/reviewed/alerted/favourited, if it weren't for you I wouldn't have gotten this chapter done so soon, warning some mild Gwen bashing**

**Disclaimer: RTD and BBC own Torchwood, at least till I work out how to steal it from them**

"What happened?" Beth asks as Gwen leads her back to the cell.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Gwen grills Beth for information, anything that could help Jestine.

"My head hurting, it feeling like it was about to explode." Beth replies.

"Anything else?" Gwen asks anxiously.

"No, besides being left alone in the room for ages without anything." Beth replies, wondering what had happened while she was in that room.

"Why, what happened?" Beth asks, anxious for any answers to anything.

"You fried Jestine's brain." Gwen answers, her voice betraying how hurt she was.

"What, no, how?" Beth asks, full of confusion.

_How the hell could I have fried Jestine's brain and not remember it._

"I really don't know." Gwen sighs. "All I know is it is unlikely Jestine will even wake up."

"I'm so sorry." Beth is truly apologetic, she didn't want to hurt anyone.

"We are going to find out what you are and at least make sure Jestine's death wasn't in vain." Gwen fights back a sob at the thought that Jestine would most likely die.

"I'm telling you, I'm human, please you can't lock me up." Beth begs as Gwen pushes her on before walking away, never once turning back.

Beth curls up in the corner sobbing to herself,_ why is this happening to me, only a day ago I was living a normal life and now I'm imprisoned in some kind of top secret organisation._

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Gwen drops against the wall as soon as she had gotten far enough away from Beth that she wouldn't hear her sobs.

_How could this be happening_, Gwen thought to herself.

_Jestine was so strong. Of all of us, Jestine is the one that can take on anything or so it seemed._

_She has only been working at Torchwood for a few months but she is such a huge part of the team._ And Gwen couldn't stand the thought of losing that part.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Absentmindedly Owen strokes Tosh's hair as he thinks about everything he had been through since Torchwood and even before with Katie's "tumour"

_How helpless I had been, just sitting there waiting for them to finish her surgery, instead they had all died and I met Captain Jack Harkness._

_Of how I promised to never let myself feel that helpless again._

_And now I can do nothing but hope that Jestine will get better._

_I remember seeing Tosh for the first time._

_Everyone thought I never noticed Tosh and how in love she was with me._

_But I had noticed, I had always known and maybe in another life I could have felt something for her in return. But I couldn't let myself, couldn't betray Katie like that. So instead I found easy shags at clubs and Suzie. Then Gwen._

_It helped, or so I thought. Easier to just shag randoms or colleagues casually. No strings, just a bit of fun, no need to try to work out my feelings._

_Then Mary happened and I realised that I wanted more, didn't want some casual sex. I remember the glow that Tosh had, the secret smile that was on her face the whole time she had been with Mary and suddenly I wanted to be the one to put that smile on Tosh's face, be the one to make her glow._

_I finally manage to get the courage to tell Tosh how I felt, just building up to find the right moment. It never came. Or more I didn't take it. _Owen chuckles to himself.

_Then Diane came. I hadn't even realised I was falling for her till she was gone._

_It had reminded me how much love hurt and I just knew I couldn't do it again, I couldn't risk my heart on another person, it would only cause me pain._

_Only when Tosh was stuck in 1941, with no way back did I realise what twat I had been and that I wanted so desperately to be with Tosh, how I couldn't bare to live without her._

_But saving the world had stopped me. And Jack lying there dead for three days was just too much for me. I was part of the reason for Jack lying there. There was no way I was able to approach Tosh while we were mourning our leader and wallowing in our grief._

_The moment Jack had come back to life, I thought this is it, no more excuses._

_I remember the exact moment, I had just gotten Tosh away from her computer and was about to tell her when Ianto came and told us that Jack was missing._

_For a month there was nothing at all that I could do about my feelings, none of us had a chance to do anything except save the world and search for our leader._

_When Jestine came, everything changed. Suddenly we had time at night to go home. And we slowly started to heal from Jack's disappearance._

Owen smiled as he recalled Jestine trying to get him to tell Tosh how he felt.

_The girl had a pair of lungs on her, yelling at me till any normal person would have passed out but she kept going, telling me to stop letting my fears get in the way of my happiness._

_Jestine had finally convinced me of what I needed to do when Tosh said she had something to tell me._

_I hadn't known at the time but Jestine had been telling Tosh basically the same thing._

Owen smiles as he remembers their first date, then the second, and each one after that.

_Had it not been for Jestine they may have never confessed their feelings for each other before it was too late._

Owen sighs_. Jestine had already given so much to the team and now it looked like she was giving her life too. She was too young for her life, and far too young to be losing it._

Owen rolls over to watch Tosh, so glad that Jestine had come into their lives and hope that she wouldn't be leaving so soon.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Tosh sighs as she feels Owen's eyes on her.

He was thinking so hard she could almost hear him. Not that she would ever want to read some ones mind again.

She remembered how when Mary had first given her the necklace she was amazed and when she had saved that family, she thought it was such a wonderful thing, well more she convinced herself as much. Tosh knew that deep down she had always known it was evil.

_All those thoughts I overheard. Thinking that no one cared. Hearing of Gwen and Owen's affair. I always thought I wouldn't stand a chance with Owen but somehow knowing he was with someone else hurt even more._

_I didn't realise but it wasn't showing me the real person, just a snap shot for who they are, just a moment in their life, no one can learn about a person in a thought._

Tosh reflected on her time at Torchwood and how she had come to be apart of it.

_Sitting in the cell, I thought I would never get out. That I would die in that tiny life-sucking cell, that when the day came no one would care, no one would notice._

_Then Captain Jack Harkness came._

_My saviour._

Tosh struggles to not shudder as she remembers the team's betrayal of Jack.

_After everything he had done for all of us, we turned on him, I know it was just part of Bilis Manger's plan to get us to open the rift but it should not have worked so easily. We should have been smarter than that._

Tosh remembers when she saw Owen in the cage against the Weevil.

_My heart had stopped beating, I was frozen. The thought that Owen was about to die overwhelmed me._

_When he emerged from the cage unharmed, all I had wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and never let him go, but I knew I couldn't. I would never, at least that was what I thought at the time._

Tosh smiles as she remembers Jestine joining the team.

_Jestine's entrance was something else. The only one on the team that could match her dramatics would have to be Jack._

Tosh had missed Jack so much in that month before Jestine had joined.

_He was my mentor, like a father to me, I owe my life to him and yet he just left us, left me._

_Then Jestine came and suddenly that hole didn't seem as big._

_Sure, I still missed Jack but not as bad._

_Jestine had encouraged all of us to keep going, told us that Jack would be back soon enough, that we were making him proud and keep it up._

_She also had encouraged me and Owen to finally admit our feelings for each other._

_Had it not been for Jestine, I know I would never have had the courage to tell Owen._

_I can't believe that Jestine could be gone forever. She had only just come into our lives, she can't leave now._

_We have known her for only a few short months but already tour lives were so much better because of Jestine._

"Please, please save her." Tosh preys silently to a God she had long ago stopped believing in.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What you doing home already?" Rhys calls out as he hears Gwen's keys in the door.

Before he could speak another word, Gwen had rushed into his arms and was sobbing.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rhys tries to calm Gwen down.

"Jestine, its Jestine." Gwen manages between sobs.

"Here tell me about it, well as much as you are allowed to." Rhys moves Gwen to the sofa.

"There, there was an accident." Gwen mumbles into Rhys's shoulder.

"You ok." Rhys pulls away from Gwen to make sure she wasn't injured.

Although he didn't officially know what Torchwood was, he heard enough to know that Gwen's job was dangerous and he had seen a number of the injuries she had attained from their various cases.

Sometimes he still couldn't believe that his Gwen was out saving the world from unknown terrors.

Made him even more grateful every night that she came home.

"What happened?" Rhys asks.

"She, she's in a coma and they don't think she will wake up." Gwen sobs into Rhys's chest.

"There, there, I'm sure she will be right, she's tough, you told me so yourself." Rhys tries to comfort Gwen.

"Yeah, if anyone could pull through it would be her." Gwen sighs, hoping against hope that Jestine would be fine.

Although it had been Gwen who was in charge, Jestine had really been the one keeping them going.

The girl always seemed to know what they needed before they even knew it, her knowledge was beyond anything any of them could know.

_That probably should have been a clue._ Gwen thinks to herself._ There should have been no way Jestine had known all that stuff by the background information she had given us._

_None of us cared though, we were just happy to have someone else to share the load with, someone who knew about the technology and races that were beyond our knowledge. In many ways, Jestine had been like a replacement Jack._

_Once she had started working it hadn't hurt as much, knowing Jack had left us. Jestine was so convinced Jack was coming back for us and it had been catchy, within a week of Jestine starting we had all started believing that Jack was going to walk through the door any second._

_She was such a strong part of the team, she was exactly what we had needed and still is, she can't die, we need her too much._

Rhys holds Gwen, rocking her slightly, trying to provide comfort to his fiancée as his mind whirls.

_Since Gwen had started working for Torchwood, she had been different. She was distant, always busy._

_Her affair was the reason to begin with but as time went on she became more and more absorbed by Torchwood, it was taking over her life._

Rhys remembered when Gwen had told him that her boss had left for an undefined about of time and that she would have to work longer hours.

He might not know everything about Torchwood but he knew that he was going to lose Gwen to it, especially as she basically lived there for the month after Jack had disappeared.

_Although I'm not apart of Torchwood, I know I'm going to be deeply effected the loss of Jestine too._

_Since she arrived, Gwen has manages to get home a decent time most nights._

_Gwen was coming back to me, all because of Jestine._

Now Rhys wasn't sure how long he could keep hold of Gwen before she became consumed by Torchwood.

_The death of a colleague would only push her further into it before there was no more Gwen, only Torchwood operative._

_Please, please save Jestine, _Rhys begs, for her and himself.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"How are you going?" Jack asks as he wraps his arms around Ianto, resting his head on the younger man's shoulder.

Ianto sighs as he leans back into the embrace.

"I feel like I'm losing part of myself, like I'm dying with her." Ianto answers, his voice husky with sadness.

"Same." Jack sighs, bringing Ianto closer to him, needing the warmth of his lover to seep through his body and into his heart.

"It feels so empty in here." Ianto whispers, tears pricking in the corners of his eyes.

"She was always on the go. She was always doing a million things at once." Ianto gives a small chuckle, remembering the tornado that was often Jestine.

"You know, she reminded me of The Doctor when she was like that, never sitting still, always rushing off to some type of trouble or another." Jack chuckles.

"I should have stopped it." Jack sighs into Ianto's shoulder.

Ianto turns in Jack's arms so he can face his lover.

"It's not your fault, we have chosen to do this, please don't blame yourself when something goes wrong, you can't save everyone." Ianto cups Jack's cheek.

"But this is my fault, I was the one that told her to go as hard as she could." Jack points out.

Ianto scoff at this. "She would have done it anyway, regardless of what you said. That is just the way she is, always going in 100%." Ianto leans in a kisses Jack, trying to push all the emotions he felt into the kiss.

Ianto leans his forehead against Jack's once the kiss ends.

"Jestine knows more about the future than we do, so she obviously knows the risk better than we do, she chose to come here, knowing what the future held." Ianto tries to stop Jack from blaming himself, just because he was in charge didn't make everything that went wrong his fault.

"I bet she didn't think the future didn't include her." Jack sighs.

"Come on, we don't know that for sure, she could still pull through." Ianto wraps his arms around Jack's waist, moving the other man closer to him, trying to give him as much comfort as possible.

The two men just stand like that for minutes on end, silent pillars of support for each other.

"Is it ok if I go see her?" Ianto whispers.

"You sure?" Jack looks at Ianto with concern, not sure if it would be too much for the younger man, he had already seen so much death, he didn't deserve to see any more.

"I'm sure Jack, I need to see her." Ianto breaks his grip from Jack's hips and grabs a hand instead, tugging it gently to encourage Jack to take him to Jestine.

"Ok, but I had to warn you, it could be confronting, she does look like she's dead." Jack warns, but not sure if it's enough.

Jack takes Ianto down to the medical room that had been set up while he was gone. It was made so if anyone needed bed rest could still be kept an eye on without it stopping Owen from doing his autopsies and it was far more comfortable than the autopsy bay bed or the old couch they had previously used.

Ianto hesitates for a second before crossing the threshold, Jack keeping a firm grip on his hand the whole time.

Ianto walks over so he is next to the bed.

There Jestine laid, her skin almost translucent due to the blood loss. When Ianto reached out to stroke her cheek, he was shocked at how cold she was.

"We had to lower her body temperature, try and slow her blood flow." Jack explains his voice barely more than a whisper. "She lost so much, Owen thought that would be enough to kill her but she hung on."

"She's tough, she will pull through." Ianto says to reassure himself as much as to reassure Jack.

The thing about Jestine that scared Ianto most though was her expression.

Even in a coma, she appeared to be haunted by her memories.

The men stand there, just watching as if hoping if they watched long enough she might just wake up.

"It's so weird seeing her so still." Ianto murmurs.

"I don't think I ever saw her completely still, she always was running after one thing or another." Ianto tries his hardest to not break down but it was too much. Her stillness leaving Ianto unable to pretend anymore that Jestine wasn't in serious danger.

"I remember this one time, she was shot in the shoulder and even as Owen was trying to get it out she refused to stay still and was trying to fill out the reports." Ianto lets out a small laugh remembering the few moments they had had with Jestine.

"You can really tell that The Doctor raised her." Jack smiles back at Ianto.

"What do you think happened to her parents?" Ianto asks sadly, aware only that she had been left to be raised by a stranger.

"I really don't know." Jack sighs, knowing that the kind of person The Doctor attracted, even if her parents had raised her there was a good chance she still would not have had a normal life.

The two men stood in a comfortable silence, each lost in thought.

Then they heard a yell coming from the lower levels.

"What was that?" Ianto asks.

"I don't know, but I want you to stay here, I'm not losing anyone else today." Jack orders before moving towards the noise.

Ianto sighs before grabbing a chair from the side and dragging it over to besides Jestine's bed.

He looks at her closely, never had she seemed as young as she did now. Ianto was shocked as he realised just how young she was. Sure, she would be no younger than he was when he first started with Torchwood but he had started in the archives, away from danger. But Jestine had been on the front line her whole life.

Ianto wished he was able to help her in some way, after all, she had saved him so much.

"You should wake up, you know that?" Ianto starts talking to Jestine. He was sure she couldn't hear him but they always got people to talk to their love ones in comas.

"You have everyone worried, they all think you are going to die." Ianto struggles to hold back a sob at that thought.

"But you can't, you have to prove them wrong, you're too strong to let something like this stop you."

"You can't leave us, we all need you so much."

"You saved my life, and not just with the Weevils. I had almost given up hope that Jack would come back, but you kept me going. Thank you."

"Please wake up, we need you, I need you."

"I feel like apart of me is lying on the bed with you, struggling to stay alive, you can't die because apart of me would die with you, you can't let that happen, you can't." Ianto can't hold back his tears any more.

"Please, you can't die yet. You're too young. I won't let you, you aren't allowed to, you hear me you aren't allowed to." Ianto yells at the girl but nothing changers to indicate she had heard him.

"Please, don't leave, I can't lose any more people, it's not far." Ianto sobs into the mattress, wishing that for once someone would stay for him.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack carefully makes his way through the lower levels, searching for any sign of the source of the yelling.

He follows it when it starts up again, the noise leading him to the cells and a frighten Beth.

"Stop that now." Jack demands as he realises the noise is coming from Beth.

"Please you need to help me." Beth pleads.

"What's wrong?" Jack asks as he realises there was something wrong with Beth.

"I keep getting these flashes of pictures." Beth cries, "They don't make sense."

"What are they of?" Jack asks, hoping it might help their case.

"I don't know, they are only a second or so, but the burglars are there and I'm stabbing them but when I look at my hand I don't have a knife." Beth tells Jack, her voice filled with terror and confusion over what she had seen.

Jack looks at her wide eyed before turning and running back to Ianto.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What was it?" Ianto asks as Jack comes running back into the room.

"We need to look at the footage." Jack grins, pulling Ianto up off his chair and kissing him passionately before pulling Ianto with him to the closest monitor.

He begins typing, looking for the footage from when Jestine had tried to get into Beth's mind.

The scene plays out before them, slightly painful to see Jestine walk in healthy when they knew she wouldn't walk out.

Jack watches intently on Beth.

"What are we looking for?" Ianto asks as he watches from next to Jack.

"Watch and listen to Beth just before Jestine collapses."

Ianto nods and trains his eyes on Beth.

Beth starts shaking violently, and then the lights flickered off.

Ianto gasps as he sees Beth's arm begin to change in the moment before the lights turned off.

"You know what this means?" Jack asks him excitedly.

"No." Ianto answers, still not sure what he had seen.

"She's alien and if we can get into her mind again we can find out what she wants." Jack sighs while running his hands through his hair, his mega watt smile now in place.

"We can solve this case because of Jestine." Jack grins.

"But we can't get into her mind." Ianto protest.

"Only you and I have any ability to get into someone's mind and too dangerous, we can't let what happened to Jestine happen to anyone else." Ianto points out.

"But we don't need to get into her mind, we have something to do it for us know that we know she's not human." Jack grins as he plants a kiss on Ianto's lips before running up to his office to call the others.

"Thank you." Ianto mutters in the direction of Jestine.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You said we weren't allowed to use that again." Tosh reminds Jack as he sets up the mind probe.

"It's just a mind probe" Jack rolls his eyes, his team's reaction to the mind probe unnecessary in Jack's mind.

"Remember what happened last time you used it?" Ianto pipes up as he helps Jack set it up.

"That was different. That species has extremely high blood pressure." Jack grumbles in defence.

"Oh, right, their heads must explode all the time." Ianto replies.

"You can't do this." I know she hurt Jestine but what if you're wrong? If she is human, it'll kill her. Gwen protest with her eyes wide at what Ianto had said about the last use of the mind probe.

"I'm not wrong. We have to find out what she is." Jack growls, wanting to get this done so he can concentrate on getting Jestine better.

He watches as Ianto sits down on the chair, grabbing the metal armrests with the straps over his wrists. Jack cocks his head to the side, trying to work out what he was up to.

"Take it easy, Jack. Stop at the first sign of trouble." Tosh warns.

"Or the first sign of exploding." Ianto adds deadpanned, causing Jack to glare.

Jack turns away from Ianto and turns to Gwen. "Gwen bring her up."

"Oh-kay." Gwen replies sounding nervous.

Jack turns back to Ianto only to see him pretending to be electrocuted, with sound effects.

"Hey!" Jack glares, it really wasn't that dangerous.

Ianto gets up as Owen shakes his head.

"Really Teaboy?" Owen tries not to laugh at Ianto's antics, the guy had really grown some balls in recent months.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Not too tight, is it?" Tosh asks as she adjusts the straps.

"It's fine." Beth replies nervously.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Beth looks around for some sort of comfort.

"Yep." Gwen answers with a tight smile.

"Just try not to, you know, kill me or anything, okay?' Beth jokes nervously.

Ianto comes over with water. "You'll probably get dehydrated ... during the probing." He explains as he lets her take a sip from the glass.

"Thank you." Beth smiles tightly.

Owen looks to Jack to get confirmation to place the helmet on Beth's head. Jack just nods. Tosh types on her computer setting it up.

"We're all set." She announces as she finishes typing.

"The probe drills down through your consciousness, so if there's anything hidden, it'll pop to the surface." Jack explains while looking at Beth suspiciously.

"Will it hurt?" Beth asks nervously.

"Yeah." He answers with out remorse.

"Your bedside manner's rubbish." Beth jokes.

"You should see his manners in bed, they're atrocious. Apparently. So I've heard." Gwen rambles nervously.

Ianto grins and starts to speak. "Oh, they are. I remember this one ..."

Jack clears his voice and glares at Ianto, now was not the time to discuss what he was like in bed. He made a mental note to teach Ianto a lesson for his cheekiness, smirking slightly at the thought. He added asking Gwen how she knew what he was like as well.

"All right, we all ready?" Gwen asks Beth as she pats her on the knee.

"I suppose." Beth answers nervously.

"Okay, we'll do this slowly. Tosh will control the probe, Owen will make sure you're not in danger, Ianto will have more water when you need it, and I'll be right here, okay?" Gwen explains each team member's role.

"And what about him? What does he do?" Beth asks gesturing to Jack.

"I'll be watching." Jack answers.

"Are you ready, Beth?" Gwen asks.

Beth just nods hesitantly.

"Okay." Gwen smiles once more before moving back to stand next to Jack to watch nervously.

Owen types something into the computer and then looks to Jack.

"Okay, Tosh." Jack nods in Tosh's direction.

Tosh types into the computer and the mind probe starts.

Beth gasps and cries out in pain as Owen types on the keyboard.

"Human." Beth calls out.

She cries out in pain as the probe goes deeper.

"Safe." Owen calls out as Jack looks at him.

"Who killed the burglars, Beth?" Jack starts the questioning.

"I don't know! I ... Oh, my ... Ah!" Beth screams out in pain.

"Safe." Owen calls out.

"What planet are you from?" Jack asks more forcefully.

Beth starts to hyperventilate from the pain, but Jack ignores it.

"I'm human! Oh, God, it hurts! Please, please, st-stop!" Beth calls out.

Jack merely replies with, "Go deeper."

"Are you sure?" Tosh asks hesitantly.

"Do it!" Jack shouts as he watches Beth writhe in pain.

"Vital signs are all over the place, but still safe." Owen informs Jack.

Tosh looks at another monitor. "Getting electromagnetic build-up again." She calls out.

"Who killed those men?" Jack yells at Beth.

"I don't know! Make it stop!" Beth cries out in pain.

"For God's sake! Come on!" Gwen mutters.

"Go deeper!" Jack demands, glancing annoyingly at Gwen when she looks like she can't handle anymore.

"Safe." Owen calls out.

"Deeper!" Jack demands again.

The lights start to flicker as Beth calls out in pain.

"Something's happening to the lights!" Ianto yells over Beth's scream.

"The electro-magnetic pulse is off the scale." Tosh replies frantic.

"I don't know how much more she can take!" Owen adds, concerned with Beth's safety.

"Jack, we've got to stop this!" Gwen pleas.

Jack just continues to watch.

Suddenly Beth exhales and passes out, slumping forward in her chair. The lights stop flickering at the same time.

Everyone turns to Jack as if to ask what to do next.

The team exclaim in surprise as Beth's right arm suddenly changes into a sharp weapon, the under layers glowing red.

Jack looks at it with familiarity.

"Oh, my God!" Gwen gasps.

"That, that was what was in the footage." Ianto gasps.

"I wouldn't get that close." Jack warns Gwen. "Toshiko, what happened?"

"Hit a buried compartment. Locked away. She couldn't have been aware of it." Tosh answers.

"Who are you?" Jack demands of Beth, as he stands right in front of her.

"Kayehla janees, putaak graszh, ish nin fas du hap vac nal." Beth replies.

"Where are you from?" Jack asks

"Kayehla janees, putaak graszh, ish nin fas du hap vac nal." Beth repeats.

"How do you like my boots?" Jack tries to see what response he would get.

Beth glances at his shoes before repeating. "Kayehla janees, putaak graszh, ish nin fas du hap vac nal."

Jack runs the hand-held scanner over Beth's arm.

"Jack, what is it, what is she saying?" Gwen asks panicked

"Name, rank, serial number, and that's all she's gonna say." Jack replies, focusing on the scanner in his hand.

"How do you know?" Tosh asks.

"'Cause I know who she is and why she's here." Jack replies as he throws the scanner at Ianto who catches it.

"Switch off the probe." Jack orders.

Tosh types for a moment before replying with. "Off."

Beth's arm returns to normal and she breaths in deeply as she opens and closes her right hand. Owen removes the probe off Beth's head as Gwen stays away.

Beth shudders. "Oh, you weren't lying, that really hurt!" "Did you find anything?" She asks Jack but is just met with silence as Jack stalks off.

The others look at each other, not sure what to make of the revelation.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"She's a sleeper agent. It all clicked when I saw the implant." Jack explains.

"No wonder Jestine's brain fried, the fact that she even managed to get anything is amazing." Jack sadly comments.

"A sleeper agent? Who for?" Owen asks.

Jack sighs. " No-one knows very much. They don't leave survivors. Official designation is Cell 1-1-4. They infiltrate planets, adapting their bodies, gathering intelligence, sometimes for years, watching, until they're ready to take over." Jack explains.

"Okay, that's ... creepy." Gwen shivers slightly.

"If we're lucky, she's the first. They send an advance guard to gather intel. Give them false memories so they blend in." Jack continues as he looks at the security monitor that shows Beth in her containment cell.

"She has no idea she's not human. Her real self must have taken over briefly, killed the burglars. Self preservation." Jack sadly explains, it was one thing to get aliens that were trying to take over the world but when they hid behind a mask of human it was just a little too much.

"Told you she did it.' Owen smirks at Gwen.

"The point is, by the time they attack, they know every single thing about the planet." Jack ignores Owen's childish behaviour. Jack gestures to Tosh to explain what she had found.

"The implant gathers information. Normal X-rays don't show it. She's projecting a false image. It's got all this data stored inside it." Tosh explains as she shows images of what she had collected from the implant. They all are stunned as they see how much information has already been collected.

"This is a force-field generator - it creates an impervious layer above the skin, just a nanometre thick. That's why you couldn't get the needle inside her." Tosh shows them her laptop readings.

Owen nods. "Right, well ... God, look, they even know about us." Owen stares at the screen.

"They know more about this place than I do. Nobody knows more than I do." Ianto pouts, making Jack want to kiss it off.

"Jestine isn't on there." Gwen points out.

Tosh types on her laptop, bringing up all the information the implant had on Torchwood.

"That is odd, all the paperwork she has done is here but not any personal information." Tosh frowns.

"Leave it for now." Jack orders, not needing anything else on his plate.

"What if there's more of them? What are we gonna do about this?" Gwen moves the meeting on.

"For a start ... I think we should tell her." Jack suggest as he stands up and leaves the room.

The rest of the team just shrug and follow, Ianto squeezing Jack's hand once he had caught up.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Can you turn it off, please?" Beth begs after watching what has happened during the mind probe.

"So I killed those men?" Beth asks as she looks at her right arm.

"Yes." Jack answers sadly.

"And I'm a mass-murdering alien?" Beth questions.

"Yes." Jack nods.

"My whole life ... all my memories, they can't be fake. I know I love Mike ... and he loves me." Beth tries to disprove the footage.

"He does, and you do." Gwen replies.

"So what's real?" Beth asks, lost.

"You both are, you both fell in love. That happened." Gwen tries to offer Beth some comfort.

"Do you feel human?" Gwen asks as she moves closer to the glass separating them from Beth.

"Yes." Beth nods.

"Yes. Well, then you are. What makes us human? Is it our minds or our bodies?" Gwen gives a small smile, while looking at Jack, hoping he would back her up.

"And what happens when the disguise comes off? I want to have kids one day. Is feeling human ... enough for that?" Beth sounds panic as she thinks of all the things she suddenly mightn't be able to do.

"Can you fix me? Can you make me human?" Beth begs as she moves closer to the glass.

"No. Eventually, you'll activate. Your real memories will come back, and 'Beth' will disappear." Jack explains.

"What do you mean, 'activate?'" Beth asks, panicked.

"Once you gather enough information, you'll send it back home, and start the invasion." Jack replies.

"There must be something you can do. All this technology, everything you do here ... You can't keep me locked up next to that thing!" Beth pleads.

"Are you going to kill me?" Beth looks at all the team members.

"No." Gwen blurts out. "No, of course we're not." Gwen tries to reassure Beth.

The team all look at Gwen, each thinking how could she make such a promise she couldn't keep.

"Have you killed other aliens?" Beth asks, scared of the answer.

"Only when we've had to. When it was the last resort - kill or be killed." Gwen tries to not scare Beth too much.

"Oh. I wish – I wish this wasn't happening. I'd never know. I'd just live a normal life." Beth mutters, terrified at what was happening to her.

"Until the day of the attack." Jack adds.

"I won't do anything! I'm not that person!" Beth yells at him.

"I'm sorry, but you are." Jack simply states before walking away, Ianto rushing after him to make sure he is ok, the rest of the team moving away from the two, knowing they needed some time alone.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"I'm so sorry, you were right, she is an alien." Gwen apologises to Jestine, even though she knows she can't be heard it makes her feel better.

"She didn't even know. She had this normal life until she was burgled. Then suddenly she finds out everything she ever knew was a lie."

"How could anyone comprehend that?"

"I wish you were here, you would help us be able to work out what to do." Gwen speaks as she moves a stray hair from Jestine's eyes.

"I never realised just how young you were till now." Gwen comments.

"You always seemed so much older, wiser, like you had seen the world and knew everything in it, which I guess you did."

"Why did you decide to come here when you could be any where and any time in the entire universe?"

"You don't deserve to die in such an unremarkable place." Gwen sobs, not wanting Jestine to die at all, at least not for many years.

Gwen knew Torchwood operatives died young, but nineteen was too young even for Torchwood, she hadn't had a chance to live.

Gwen chuckles as she realises that thought. Even though Jestine was only nineteen she has had a chance to live, she had already seen and done more than most would do in a lifetime, well except Jack.

"We really could do with your help, Jack's great but you know so much, even a clue on what we could do would be great, please anything." Gwen begs, wishing Jestine would just go back to the way she was earlier.

"Please get well soon, we all miss you." Gwen whispers before leaving.

**Hope you enjoyed it, please tell me what you thought, till next time, have fun**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter nineteen now done, hope you like it, should have sleeper done next chapter or the one after at most, sorry it is dragging on, after sleeper I will do a non-episode chapter then Adam as I think it fits in better for my story, hope you enjoy it, please let me know what you think, thank you to everyone who has read/review/alerted/favourited, you make my day**

**Declaimer: Don't own Torchwood or any of its characters, if I did we wouldn't have to wait till next year for a new series**

Jack and Ianto walk to the main part of the Hub.

"We need a plan. We can't let her go, she's too dangerous." Jack looks down at his team for answers.

"We could freeze her. Use the alien cryogenics. Wake her up if we figure out how to stop her memories from coming back." Tosh suggest.

"Freeze her? For how long?" Gwen asks voice full of concern.

"As long as it takes. At least she'd be alive." Tosh shrugs.

"Her implant would still gather information." Jack points out.

"Can't we deactivate it?" Gwen suggests.

"I can isolate the transceiver and fry it in an EM pulse. Right now, it's not sending or receiving anything. I've checked it five times on every frequency." Tosh looks to Jack for his thoughts.

"Won't that let them know we're onto them?" Owen questions from the other side of the room as he waters the plants.

"No. If we freeze her, she'll never activate and they'll never know." Tosh smiles at her brilliant idea.

What about her husband?" Ianto asks as he leans against Jack.

"She'd have to disappear completely." Jack replies sternly, looking to Gwen. "No goodbyes."

Before Gwen can protest Jack turns around and leaves, Ianto following close behind.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Owen sighs as he checks Jestine's information.

Nothing had changed since they had put her in the coma, even with the lower dosage.

"What are we going to do with you?" Owen mutters as he finishes checking all of Jestine's data.

"Come on, after everything are you really going to let this get you?" Owen pulls up a chair, just wanting one moment.

"They are missing you so much, they need you back." Owen notifies Jestine, hoping that it could encourage her back into the world of the living.

Owen sits there for a few moments, just listening to the slow beep of the monitor indicating her heart beat, still slower than even normal people, let alone the faster beat she normally had.

Once Jestine had assured Owen that that was normal for her, he had to laugh, it was typical of the girl, always faster than everyone else, always rushing from one thing to another.

Owen sighs as he thinks of this, compared to the deadly still girl in front of him.

"You know, I never did thank you for me and Tosh." Owen gives a small smile.

"I'm only going to tell you this because I know you can't hear me and even if you could you are sworn to secrecy." Owen briefly glares at the girl to make sure she was indeed unconscious.

"I swear, you tell anyone." Owen shakes his head slightly, he knew Jestine was trustworthy, even though she had her secrets she would never do anything to betray anyone or put them in danger if she could help it.

"You know me and Tosh, well yeah." Owen avoids looking her in the eyes, even though she couldn't hear he was still nervous.

"I'm thinking about asking her to move in with me, it's getting serious." Owen smiles, he hadn't really felt this good about someone since Katie.

Sure he had developed feelings for Diane but this was something else.

Owen chuckles, "I bet you just asked who I was and what have I done with the real Owen."

"But I'm happy, really happy now. Who would have thought people happy at Torchwood?" Owen gives another chuckle.

"But I am, we all are. Me and Tosh, Gwen and Rhys and Jack and Ianto." Owen smiles, thinking of how happy his friends were.

"Torchwood, matchmaker." Owen laughs.

"Although I think we need to find someone for you once you are better, don't want to be the seventh wheel would you." Owen tries to convince himself that Jestine was going to get better.

"I reckon that Andy guy would go out with you if you asked, although between you and me I think you can do a lot better." Owen smiles, trying to stop the tears from falling that were forming on the edges of his eyes.

"But for that we need you back, ok, you need to wake up." Owen tries to hold back a sob.

"They all really miss you, I miss you." Owen confesses as he breaks down into tears.

"I don't want to lose anymore people, you can't just leave us like that, you can't, how can I tell Jack that you are dead, I can't do that, I can't." Owen sobs into the mattress, unwitting mimicking the same action as Ianto not long ago.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"We had a holiday booked. Nothing special, just a weekend away. Am I ever gonna see him again?" Beth asks as she is lead through a corridor by Jack and Ianto.

Ianto looks over to Jack, unsure of what to say.

Before Ianto can work out what to say, Beth gasps and stops walking.

"Oh!" Beth lets out a gasp.

"Oh-h-h ... those men ..."

"Oh, my God, those poor men! What's happening?" Beth calls out as her mind is filled with images of her attacking the two burglars.

"The real memory is coming back, destroying the fake human persona. The sooner we do this, the better for everyone." Jack orders as he grabs Beth's arm to help her along.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Any change?" Tosh asks as Owen comes back up from checking on Jestine.

"Nothing." Owen shakes his head sadly.

"Do you think she can make it?" Tosh asks, willing her eyes to not tear up.

"I really can't tell." Owen pulls Tosh into a hug.

Owen gently rubs Tosh's back while whispering comforting nonsense.

"You ok now?" Owen asks as he pulls back slightly to have a look at Tosh.

Tosh nods slightly. Owen gives her a peck on the lips and smiles as he pulls back.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you." Owen starts to tell Tosh, so nervous.

"Are you ok Owen?" Tosh asks, her voice filled with concern, confusion and fear.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just wanted to know if.." Owen starts to ask when suddenly Jack and Ianto come dashing in with Beth between them.

"Owen we need to get this done now." Jack orders as they take Beth to the autopsy room.

"Sorry Tosh, later." Owen looks to Tosh apologetically and scampers off after Jack and Ianto.

Tosh looks on in confusion as Owen joins the other men.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Promise me something. If you can't figure out how to keep me human, then don't wake me up. Just turn the machine off." Beth begs Gwen as the others prepare for her to be frozen.

"That's not a promise I can keep." Gwen looks at Beth, her eyes a mixture of so many different emotions.

"Okay, you then. I bet you can. After all I killed one of your team." Beth calls out to Jack, hoping he would comply.

Beth notices a slight shiver pass through the man but no other response.

"Just don't let me hurt anyone." Beth begs.

Jack looks at Beth briefly, he's face set in neutral, giving Beth no indications of what he was thinking.

"You have my word." Jack replies, crossing his arms when Gwen glares at him.

"It's funny, I've always had this nagging feeling like I didn't fit in. Just... so desperate to have a more exciting life." Beth nervously matters.

"I'm going to hit the transceiver with an EM pulse." Tosh explains as she walks over to Beth with a hand hold scanner.

"You won't feel anything. It won't harm you." Gwen sooths.

"It'll take out the force-field generator, too, I'm afraid. So, I'll have to fry them both." Tosh sadly explains.

"Do it. I don't want to be invincible." Beth replies determinedly.

"After that I'm gonna sedate you, then we'll freeze you." Owen adds.

"It'll like - just like going to sleep." Gwen tries to comfort her.

"Only a bit colder." Owen mutters, causing Gwen to glare at him.

"Bye, Gwen." Beth says sadly.

"Bye." Gwen replies just as sadly.

"Done." Tosh speaks once she was done scanning Beth and had turned off the transmitter and generator.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"If you want the whole bloody seat to yourself, be my guest." David says as he hands his wife a glass.

"In fact," "I said, "Why don't we ask the other passengers to get off, and you can have the whole carriage to yourself? Would you like that?" David joins his wife in laughter as he grabs a bottle from the fridge.

"You didn't!" His wife gasps.

"I did. I was really loud, too. I couldn't help it, I was just really annoyed. So then ... So then, right, she gives me the dirtiest look, right, and she ..." David suddenly stops and stares as an electronic beeping sounds.

"David?" His wife calls out when he doesn't continue the story.

"What is that?" David's wife yells as she sees the red light flashing under his shirt.

"What's happened to your arm?" She yells as he pulls his sleeve up.

"Hey! Where are you going?" She shouts as he walks out towards the door.

"David, you're scaring me!"

"What are you doing?" She asks, concerned at her husbands sudden behaviour.

David checks his watch

"What's happening? Come back here!" David's wife demands answers.

"David!" She screeches as he moves towards her.

He twists her neck before heading towards the door.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Two paramedics are working on a man on the street, one doing compressions. He suddenly stops as he looks to his arm which is beeping. He gets up and walks away without a glance back or acknowledgement of his colleagues calls.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

A women's walking down the street with her child in the pram. She suddenly stops, her arm beeping. Pulling up her sleeve exposes a red flashing light. She turns and walks away, uncaring that the pram is rolling away into the path of cars.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"It's done, I'm sending her to the vaults." Owen tells Gwen as he finishes.

"It's the right thing to do." Jack calls out to Gwen as she rushes down to the vaults.

Jack sighs once Gwen is out of sight.

"She won't ever change." Owen murmurs as he packs up his gear.

"I wish she would some days." Jack rubs at his face.

"Even after what happened to Jestine and she has to do everything she can to look after Beth." Owen sighs too, Jestine taking a toll on him, it was his responsibility to treat the team for injuries but he didn't have a clue what was happening with Jestine.

"I'm sure she'll wake up eventually." Jack calls out before moving from the autopsy bay.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Ianto makes sure everything is as it should be before locking Beth into the vault chamber.

As he leaves he doesn't see Beth's eyes opening. The monitors show no sign that anything was happening that shouldn't be.

"It's done." Ianto tells Jack when he enters Jack's office, slumping down on Jack's couch.

"You ok?" Jack asks as he sits down beside Ianto, gathering him in his arms.

"No." Ianto admits as he snuggles in closer to Jack.

Jack absently strokes the Welshman's hair. "What's wrong?" Jack asks, leaning in to kiss Ianto on the head.

"Just tired." Ianto sighs. "And Jestine, it just doesn't feel the same with her gone."

"I know." Jack sighs too.

"Even Myfanwy is missing her." Ianto mutters as he curls up against his lover.

Jack suddenly sits upright.

"You right?" Ianto asks, concern about Jack's sudden movement.

"Yeah, sorry, just realised something." Jack apologises as he relaxes back.

"What?" Ianto turns to look at the Captain.

"Jestine was broadcasting." Jack smiles.

"Broadcasting?" Ianto repeats Jack's word.

"Yeah, broadcasting calmness and belonging." Jack grins.

"Really?" Ianto asks, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, didn't realise till you mentioned Myfanwy. No wonder the place felt different when I got back." Jack grins.

"But what about when her and Gwen fight, surely that would not happen when she is broadcasting calmness and belonging?" Ianto asks.

"When she got angry the emotions she was broadcasting would have changed, causing Gwen to become angry at her so saying this that pissed her off, making her more angry and broadcasting more. Loop of anger." Jack explains.

"So if we want less fights we should just keep our mouths shut around Jestine?" Ianto asks.

"Nah, just teach her some anger management, she has a temper on her." Jack replies, making plans for when Jestine was better, it was the only way he could stop himself thinking that this was it for the girl.

"Yeah, she does." Ianto nods in agreement.

Both men then just sit in a comfortable silence, content to just sit there with their lover and let the world's problems not bother them for a few moments.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Both men are startled out of the moment when the lights start flickering and alarms blare.

"Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on?" Jack demands as he and Ianto move out of his office.

Gwen opens the security monitors programs, checking the vault. The screen reveals the vault door to Beth's chamber is wide open.

"Oh, shit!" Gwen curses.

"What happened?" Jack asks as Ianto runs down to the computers to see if he could find anything.

"Beth's gone." Gwen replies.

"I thought she was frozen!" Jack states angrily.

"She was! All her vitals were at zero." Owen argues, confused by it.

"Checking systems, command history ..." Tosh reports as she types away at her computer.

"What did she do? Is it a virus, a lockdown?" Jack seeks information.

"No, she just turned off the lights." Tosh answers as she continues to scan through the information.

"What is it with her and light bulbs?" Jack muses.

"She went through the tunnels." Tosh informs Jack once they had turned the light on and seen through the monitor that the cog wheel was open.

"Time to change the locks again." Ianto mutters.

"She knew everything about this place. It was all in her arm. The tunnels, layout, security codes. She could've shut us down, blown us up – anything!" Jack mutters, his mind trying to sort out the information.

"But she didn't." Gwen states.

"Oh, I swear, she was frozen." Owen adds.

"Tosh, you switched off the transceiver?" Jack turns to Tosh.

"Yes." Tosh answers.

"Are you sure?" Jack asks again.

"Well, I was until you asked." Tosh replies nervously, glancing at her monitor. "Unless it was another false image." Tosh adds.

"Hang on, hang on, hang on. Everything about her was a lie. All of her vital signs were a false image. She can fool the equipment. She can tell it what we're expecting to see. So, you know, she gets scared and it projects an increased heart rate. We try and freeze it and it does the opposite." Owen hypothesises.

"Simulating that much information would need a huge amount of energy. No wonder she had a big electromagnetic field." Tosh continues wide eyed at the information.

"Well, that's why the lights blew every time she got upset." Owen adds.

"So, what's she doing? Did we activate her?" Tosh asks, hoping for no more bad news.

"She couldn't be activated. If she was, we'd all be dead. We took her off the network. She has some other agenda." Jack replies, his mind already whirling to try and figure where Beth may have gone.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Hey." Mike says as he realises his wife is at his bed side.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Beth smiles softly as she strokes his cheek.

"What's going on? The doctor won't tell me anything. You all right?" Mike asks as he realises Beth hadn't been back since that girl had asked to talk to her.

"I'm fine. I- Listen, you know I love you, don't you?" Beth looks Mike in the eye hoping he would understand how much he meant to her.

"Course I do. I love you, too." Mike answers back, confused by Beth's strange behaviour.

"Do you promise?" Beth asks, pleading.

"Why?" Mike is becoming rapidly concern something was wrong with his wife.

"Just ... I just had to be sure. I have to go away." Beth answers, her eyes welling up.

"What do you mean? Where?" Mike looks around, looking for answers.

"I can't tell you, but it's for your own good." Beth replies sadly, stroking Mike's cheek again.

"Beth, what are you talking about?" Mike asks as he sits up.

"No. I'm sorry. I just ... I have to stay away from you. If I don't ... I'm gonna end up hurting you." Beth struggles to contain her tears.

"Well, this is hurting me. Don't go." Mike pleas with her

"Whatever happens ... just know that I love you ... and I always will." Beth sobs.

"If you've ... If you've done something, I don't care, just don't leave me. We'll get through this." Mike pulls his wife into a comforting hug.

"No, not this time. I have to put things straight, and I can't do that anywhere near you. I love you too much for that." Beth sobs into his chest as she puts her arms around him.

"Don't let the police take you! I'm not gonna let you go. I don't care what it is." Mike begs her, not noticing the beeping of her arm.

"I don't care what ..." Mike gasps and stops moving as a squishy-fleshy sound is heard.

"What was that?" Mike pants.

"I don't know. It sounded like ..." Beth answers as she pulls away from him.

They both look down to see Beth's arm morphed into a sharp pointy weapon that has impaled Mike clear through his abdomen. Beth pulls her arm back, the weapon coming clear of Mike's abdomen.

"Ah ... uh ... uh ... Oh, my God! Oh, my ..." Beth screams as Mike starts to bleed.

"He ... Help! Help! Somebody, get a doctor! Help! Somebody!" Beth screams for help.

"What are ... you ..." Mike gasps as Beth's arm turns back to normal and she presses the call button causing the alarms to start blaring.

"Somebody!" Beth screams as Mike gasps for breath.

"Beth!" Jack yells as him and Gwen enter the room, guns raised. Beth stands up and backs away from them, the lights on her right arm on.

"Sorry ... I was just ... It was an accident. I just wanted to say goodbye ..." Beth sobs falling to her knees as Jack moves past her to check on Mike.

"She's got a weapon system built into her arm." Jack calls to Gwen.

Gwen moves a hand held scanner over Beth's arm, calling clear once done.

"It's getting worse. She's losing control. We need to contain her fast." Jack orders.

"Come on, Beth. Let's get you back." Gwen tries to calm Beth down as she moves the device back into the bag.

"No!" Beth cries.

"Come on!" Gwen encourages Beth more authoritatively.

"No ... !" Beth sobs.

"Come on! Get up!" Jack orders as he pulls Beth up.

"Get up! Go!" Gwen yells as she moves to put Beth's arm around her shoulder and rush her out of the room with Jack.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Patrick Grainer has just put his things down on the foyer table as he looks up at his daughter.

"So, what else happened at school today?" He asks, continuing their earlier conservation.

"Alex has got a girlfriend." She blurts out, smirking.

"Oh?" Patrick replies questionably.

"Have not!" Alex yells back as he carries a stack of plates.

"Have too. She's called Jessica."

"I'm gonna kill you so much." Alex glares at his sister as he carries the plates over to his mother who is setting the table.

Mr Grainger laughs at his children's behaviour as he opens the door.

"Patrick Grainger?" David the alien asks.

"Alex, don't kill your sister." Mrs Grainger scolds as she takes the plates from her son.

David stabs Patrick Grainger in the stomach once his arm as morphed into a bladed weapon. Patrick opens his mouth and starts bleeding out.

"Not before tea anyway!" Mrs Grainger laughs as she puts her hand on her sons shoulder.

David forces his way into the house, his shirt splattered with Patrick Grainger's blood.

Mrs Grainger moves towards the foyer, wondering why her husband hadn't entered the dinning room yet.

"Patrick? Oh, my God, stop it!" She yells as she pulls her children to her, covering their eyes as best as she can while pulling them back into the dinning room.

David ignores this commotion and continues to stab Patrick over and over again.

"Get away from him!" Mrs Grainger yells to David.

David pulls the blade out of Patrick and he falls to the floor.

"Oh, no! Please, don't hurt my children!" Mrs Grainger yells as David stops.

David stabs once more, causing blood to spatter Mrs Grainger's face.

"No, please!" The daughter cries as David kills her father. David just turns and leaves, showing no sign he had heard her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

A larger fuel tanker screeches to a halt under the overpass, causing the cars behind to beep their horns at being stuck on their journeys.

The paramedic jumps out of the tanker, heading towards the back of it.

"Oi! Fuckflap! Get back in that truck or I'll shove it up your arse!" The driver of the car behind the tanker gets out and yells at the paramedic who shows no sign of hearing him.

Instead her removes a circular disc off his arm and attaches it to the side of the fuel tanker.

It starts beeping and a light flashes.

"Oh, shit!" The driver yells as he realises what it is and starts to run.

The paramedic simply stays where he is and watches the driver run.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Tosh? We got her. It's all over. We're on our way." Jack tells Tosh through the comms as he and Gwen rush Beth through the corridors.

Before Tosh can reply there is a large boom and a blast knocks them and everyone else in the hallway off their feet.

"You okay?" Jack looks over to Gwen once he had regain his awareness.

"Yeah ... I think so, yeah." Gwen mutters, her ears still ringing from the explosion.

"What the hell was that?" Jack asks through the comms.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Petrol tanker. Looks like someone wanted to take out the M4 link road for some r-..." Tosh begins to reply as Owen runs to join her.

"No! It's not the road. There's an underground fuel pipeline." She corrects herself.

"It's a special fuel supply for the military. They use it in emergencies." She tells Owen.

"Not anymore. Hold on." Owen turns to his own workstation.

"I've got a report coming through. Patrick Grainger's been murdered." Owen reads off the screen.

"Who?" Tosh's face filled with confusion.

"Leader of the council, stabbed several times in the chest, and once in the forehead. Sound familiar?" Owen replies.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Why would anyone want to kill him?" Gwen asks through her comm as her and Jack continue to lead Beth through the corridor.

"He's also the city co-ordinator. Takes charge of the city in case of major emergencies. Has all the security protocols." Ianto answers.

"Well, how do you know that?" Owen looks over to Ianto.

"I know everything." Ianto smirks, and then points. "And it says so on the bottom of the screen."

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"They're putting all the pieces in place. Gwen, take her." Jack tells Gwen as they reach the foyer.

Jack releases Beth and rushes outside to the SUV.

Beth collapses, needing Gwen to help her.

"It's starting. It's happening right now!" Jack calls out to the team over his comm.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

A woman walks along the sidewalk, her arm the same as Beth's and David's.

She's the same woman who let go of her baby's pram.

She carries a detonator in the palm of her other hand.

She suddenly stops in front of a building and enters. There is a plaque at the front stating:

TELECOMMUNICATIONS SWITCHING STATION & MOBILE SWITCHING CENTRAL

The bomb detonates, taking out the building and throwing passer-by's to the ground.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack taps at his comm, trying to get an answer from his team but can only hear massive feedback.

"Tosh?" Jack asks into his comm.

"It's not just her. She's part of a cell, and they've activated. It's happening." Jack yells to Gwen and Beth.

"Tell me how to stop it!" He shouts to Beth.

"It can't be." Beth shakes her head.

"Think!" Jack demands.

"Beth, look at me." Gwen turns to Beth, the women resisting the order. "Look at me!" Gwen orders again, this time Beth listening. "How do we stop this?" Gwen asks Beth.

"I don't know. I'm cut off from the cell. I don't know what the mission is. I'm sorry." Beth shakes her head sadly.

"What about your implant? How did you get out of Torchwood?" Gwen asks.

"The technology is part of me. I can switch it on, I can use the tools." Beth replies.

"Can you do that now? Can you trace the other cell, Beth?" Gwen pleads.

"No! What if it goes wrong?" Beth shakes her head.

"If you don't, Beth, other people will die. Not just Mike." Gwen tries to persuade Beth.

Beth takes several deep breaths, holding her left hand over her implants.

The cells in her arm activates. Beth turns to Gwen.

"There's only one left. I can track him." Beth tells Gwen confidently.

"Let's go. Come on." Jack orders as both him and Gwen help Beth to the SUV.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Hang on, I've got an idea." Jack grins as he pulls the car up to the curb and hops out, leaving both women confused.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"No, I can't just hook something up! The entire telephone network is down!" Tosh tries to explain to Owen as he tries to dial the phone.

"What about mobile connection?" Owen points to a mobile.

"The entire telephone network is down!" Tosh repeats slower, she loved Owen but sometimes he could be so thick.

"Mobiles, landlines, tin cans with bits of string. Everything. Absolutely everything. No phones, phones all broken." Ianto says as he joins them.

He holds his hand up as if talking with a phone. "Hello? Anyone there? No, 'cause the phones aren't working." He mocks Owen.

"Ok, ok, get your point." Owen puts his hands up in surrender, just as they hear the song Doctor Jones playing.

"What's that?" Tosh asks, music didn't normally go off randomly at Torchwood and when unusual things happened there it was bad news.

"It's coming from Jestine's desk." Ianto answers as he makes his way to the girl's desk.

Ianto looks through the piles of files on the desk to find a phone ringing.

"Thought you said the entire telephone network was down." Owen smirks as Ianto picks it up to answer.

"Um..Hello, who is this?" Ianto asks nervously.

**Hope you enjoyed it, minor cliff-hanger at the end, should have the next chapter up by the end of the week, please tell me what you thought and have fun**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 finally done, sorry it has taken so long, its just been one disaster after another with this chapter, I will be writing for my other story next and things are really getting busy at uni so could be a couple of weeks before I update this story again, really sorry but will try and get it done as soon as possible, thank you so much to everyone who favourited/added/reviewed, it really helped, I would have given up long ago if it weren't for you so this is dedicated to you all, hope you enjoy this chapter**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Torchwood or a TARDIS I wouldn't have to worry about trying to fit my high school placement into a ridiculously short amount of time, alas I don't own Torchwood or a TARDIS so some how have to make more time**

"Who are you?" Comes the reply.

Ianto looks to Tosh and Owen for help as they gesture for him to put the phone on speaker.

"So who are you?" The voice asks after a few moments of silence.

Ianto looks to Owen and Tosh for direction, Tosh gesturing for him to answer.

"Er, Ianto Jones." Ianto replies nervously.

"Ianto Jones." The voice exclaims. "Jack's Ianto Jones?"

Ianto blushes deeply at being referred to as Jack's.

"Um, who is this?" Ianto mutters, cringing as he hears Owen sniggering.

"I'm The Doctor." Comes the cheery reply as Tosh hits Owen.

"Doctor, is that really you?" Tosh asks in surprise.

"Toshiko Sato, how lovely to hear your voice again, haven't been chasing after anymore flying pigs again have you?" The Doctor replies, his smile almost possible to be heard over the phone.

Tosh giggles, "No, no flying pigs."

"What do you want and how are you calling?" Owen interrupts with a hint of jealously.

"Oh, hello, who are you then?" The Doctor enquires.

"Doctor Owen Harper." Owen puts the emphasis on Doctor.

"Well hello there, how are things?" The Doctor asks, seeming to have forgotten why he had called.

"Oh, just great, the worlds ending and I'm stuck on the phone with an idiot." Owen mutters back.

Tosh glares at Owen before speaking. "Sorry about him. We just want to know how it is that you have managed to phone when the phone network is down and if there is a reason for your call."

"It's alright, heard enough stories about Owen to expect nothing less. Now what do you mean the phone network is down?" The Doctor replies.

"A bomb was let off at the communication centre, nothing is working, at least they shouldn't be." Tosh explains.

"Ah, yes, ok, I see. Well this phone has had some upgrades so I'm able to contact Jestine no matter where or when she is, always handy with someone like her. The only way you can keep track." The Doctor chuckles as he answers.

"Really, that's remarkable, how did you do that?" Tosh stares with amazement, the thought of the kind of technology in front of her sending tingles down her spine.

"Jestine did this one." The Doctor beams, his pride radiating through the phone.

"Really." Tosh gasps, she knew Jestine was knew her way around technology but to create something like that would be remarkable.

"Just something she put together one day when she was bored, speaking of Jestine, could you get her for me?" The Doctor asks.

The team look at each other, unsure of what to tell him.

"Hello, you still there?" The Doctor asks as a few moments pass without answer.

"Doctor, I'm really sorry." Ianto whispers.

"Why, what happened?" The Doctor asks anxiously, knowing how much trouble Jestine seemed to get herself into everywhere she went.

"She's not well." Ianto answers lamely, not being able to put into words their worst nightmare.

"Oh, that all." The Doctor lets out a breath he was holding, glad that for once Jestine seemed to be keeping out of trouble.

"Well I can keep it short then, let her recover."

Owen looks sadly at his teammates before talking to The Doctor.

"It's a little more serious than some illness." Owen tells The Doctor.

"How much more serious?" The Doctor asks, sounding as if he didn't believe what was happening.

"There was an accident, we don't know if she will even make it." Owen tries to finish the sentence with out letting his tears fall, she had only be apart of the team for such a small time but she had made such a difference in all their lives.

"Wait, what happened?" The Doctor asks, now sounding concern.

"There was this attack and the woman whose place it happened at, Jestine couldn't read her whole mind properly, something was hiding, then we tried to do some test but her skin broke the scalpel so Jestine tried to read her mind again. Only this time she tried harder and the woman was shaking and electromagnetic energy built up and then suddenly the lights went out and Jestine screamed." Ianto blurts out, knowing that once he stopped he wouldn't be able to speak again.

"I'm sorry Doctor but her brain basically fried, I'm sure if you want to wait till Jack is back he can explain it better to you but there is basically no chance of her waking up, if she even makes it." Owen continues from Ianto, his own voice nearly breaking.

The Doctor lets out a relieved breath. "Oh, that all, you had me worried there for a moment.

"What do you mean, oh that all, she could die." Ianto yells down the phone.

The Doctor pauses for a moment, realising that there was little chance they knew just what Jestine had gotten up to before she had come to Torchwood.

"I mean she has been through this before and will be perfectly fine, although maybe this time she will learn to not invade people's minds." The Doctor explains.

"So she will be ok?" Tosh asks uncertainly, not wanting to have false hope, but if The Doctor wasn't worried about it then maybe everything will be ok.

"She should be back to normal in about a month, well if she has been looking after herself." The Doctor replies.

"A month, that long." Owen curses, they couldn't really afford for her to be out of action for a month.

"That's for her to be back to her best, don't worry she should be up to a normal standard within a day or two of waking up." The Doctor tries to comfort the team.

"Normal standard?" Ianto asks, his eyebrows raised.

"You probably have noticed that she shows increase ability in most areas, I mean she should be able to keep up with you all within days of waking up, but her endurance, speed and connectivity amongst other things will be a lot lower that what she is used to." The Doctor tries to answer.

"Anything we can do to get her to improve quicker?" Owen hopes that Jestine would be back to normal as fast as possible, she had been a huge help.

"I'm sorry but you just have to let her brain recover at its own pace, just be there for her. She will get frustrated by her limitations, she can get quite emotional and will tire easily. You will need to make sure she takes it slow." The Doctor warned.

"Would she have known this would happen?" Ianto asks after a few moments of silence.

"Not when she first would have tried pushing in to the persons mind, but she would have felt the pressure building, she should have pulled out." The Doctor mutters.

"If it weren't for Jestine, Jack would have never had worked out that the woman was a sleeper agent, we wouldn't have been able to have done anything when they started attacking us." Ianto answers, annoyed at the way The Doctor was speaking about Jestine, she had put her life on the line to help them.

"Oh, of course, let me guess, Jack was in the room when she pushed too hard." The Doctor sounds annoyed.

"Jack didn't make her do anything she didn't want to." Ianto growls at the phone, sick of The Doctor's attitude.

"Should have known." The Doctor mutters angrily.

"Jack didn't make Jestine do anything." Ianto glares at the phone, he felt The Doctor had no need to blame Jack, it wasn't his fault.

"No, no, certainly wasn't blaming Jack, certainly not his fault, he wasn't to know." The Doctor back peddles quickly.

"What doesn't he know?" Ianto asks, curious about what The Doctor was talking about, although still angry at the Time Lord.

"Jestine knows when to go hard and when to back down. At least most of the time. But certain people make her push herself as far as she can go and further, she would do anything to prove herself to them." The Doctor explains.

"What does that have to do with her risking her life?" Owen asks.

"She would do anything for Jack, anything at all." The Doctor replies, his voice filled with sadness and regret.

"Why?" Tosh asks puzzled, she was sure there had been times Jestine had refused orders from Jack.

"She idolises him. She knows so much of what he has been through and what is still to come. She knows how he has struggled and will continue. How he fights for the world even when he has lost everything." The Doctor explains.

"She sees the good and the bad in him. She knows he will do what is needed, continue on even through great personal loss. He is the person she wants to be."

"Wait, are you saying she idolises him?" Owen snorts with disbelief.

"More than anyone I have ever known." The Doctor answers.

"You are kidding right. If there was ever someone to not idolise him, she would be it." Owen looks at the screen thinking the man on the other end were an idiot.

"What makes you say that?" The Doctor asks, the slightest hint of concern detectable in his voice.

Owen mentally curses himself for almost revealing what he knew.

"Just some of the things she has told us, stories and such." Owen mutters, trying to cover his tracks.

"Ah, yeah, her stories." The Doctor laughs. "She always loves sharing some of her experiences.

"But she won't tell us anything that lets us really know her." Ianto mutters sadly.

"She does that, can tell you everything but tell you nothing." The Doctor sighs.

"Look I need to ask you about her medical history, I think I should do it in another room, maintain as much of Jestine's privacy as possible." Owen tells The Doctor, aiming for a chance to tell The Doctor what he knew.

"Right, ok, well nice talking to you again Tosh and lovely to hear from you Ianto." The Doctor says goodbye before Owen switches it back to normal and walks away to talk to The Doctor privately.

"Wow, who would have thought, Jestine idolising Jack. Never would have put her as one needing anyone's approval, she just seemed so sure of herself." Tosh muses once Owen had left.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Ianto replies, thinking of the conservation they had just had.

At least they now knew that Jestine would be ok.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So could we use Jestine's phone to contact Jack?" Ianto asks Tosh while they wait for any information from Jack.

"I don't know, I really don't know how the whole thing works, hopefully once Jestine wakes up she can tell me." Tosh replies, looking happy at the idea that the girl would be fine in a few days.

"I'll be glad when she's back to full health, it's just not the same without her." Tosh confesses.

"Jack reckons she was broadcasting her emotions, that's why we were so much happier once she came." Ianto tells Tosh.

"What about the fights though?" Tosh inquires, there had be plenty between Jestine and Gwen, neither seeing eye to eye on a number of cases.

"We were feeling her anger when she was angry, apparently making the whole situation worse." Ianto tries to explain.

"Great when you have someone like Jestine." Tosh laughs, when Jestine thought she was right she would not back off at all, one of the reasons that she and Gwen had clashed so much, both too stubborn to listen to anyone else.

"I know, Jack has suggested anger management lessons once she has woken up." Ianto laughs back, both of them more relaxed now that they knew that Jestine was going to be ok.

"Tosh, Owen, Ianto, can you hear me?" Jack's voice suddenly sounds through out the Hub.

They turn around and see the radio on Jack's desk.

"Jack! Thank God. What happened?" Tosh breaths a sigh of relief as Ianto calls out to Owen.

"There's a cell, it's active. Four including Beth - two are dead. We're tracking the last guy now. If we can get to him before he does anything, we can stop this." Jack explains.

"What can I do?" Tosh asks, eager for the mission to be over. 

"He's heading for an abandoned farm just outside the city. I need to know what's out there." Jack explains.

"On it." Tosh replies as Ianto rushes off to help.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"He's nearly there, we need to hurry." Beth warns Jack as they speed along.

"Yeah. Hurrying, thank you." Jack mutters.

"What happens when it starts, Beth?" Gwen questions the woman.

"How do you get in the heavy weapons?" Jack asks.

"I don't know. Um, I think we just have this arm stuff." Beth indicates to her arm.

"So, how do you manage to take over so quickly?" Gwen glances curiously at Beth.

"I don't know. I didn't even know how to use this thing until today." Beth looks at Gwen sadly, wishing she could help more.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"This is as far back as they go. There used to be a coal mine in the cliff. The Army sealed it off in the '40s, doesn't say why." Ianto explains as he walks back to the stations with a book that he had been scanning through for information.

"Let me see if I can get into the military files." Tosh speaks as she works on the computer.

"Come on, guys, that wasn't even difficult. You disappoint me." Tosh mocks the system as she gets in easily.

"It's almost obscene what you do to security systems." Ianto mutters as he watches Tosh work.

"Oh, God." Tosh gasps as she looks at the information on the screen.

"What is it?" Jack yells over the radio.

"The mineshaft. The military are using it for storage. Nuclear warheads. Ten of them. Nobody's supposed to know, not even us." Tosh replies, her voice shaking.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"That's how it starts." Gwen comments as Tosh's information sinks in.

"No heavy weapons." Jack mutters.

"Exactly! They don't need any! They use our own against us." Gwen glares.

"We left the key under the doormat. All you need is to walk in and take over." Jack adds.

"Please tell me you can stop this." Tosh pleads over the radio.

"Going as fast as we can. If we don't, we won't feel a thing. We're at the centre of the blast radius." Jack replies.

"That's comforting." Tosh replies as she rolls her eyes.

"Come on! Have a little faith! With a dashing hero like me on the case, how can we fail?" Jack laughs.

"He is dashing, you have to give him that." Ianto smiles at his lover's description of himself.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"And what if they can't stop it?" Owen asks after ending the connection

"They'll stop it." Tosh replies hopeful.

"Yeah, but if they can't?" Owen protest.

"Then it's all over." Ianto replies.

"Let's all have sex." Owen announces.

"And I thought the end of the world couldn't get any worse." Ianto replies with a small smile as Tosh giggles.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Halt! Stop the vehicle! Get out of the vehicle now! Lie face down on the ground!" A soldier shouts as David approaches his post.

"On the ground or we shoot!" The soldier shouts as David gets out of his car.

David ignores the instructions and walks towards the building.

"Fire!" The soldier shouts. They fire at David, hitting him in the chest. He jerks from the impact but doesn't fall.

A soldier comes up behind him and tries to strangle him with his rifle, David flips the soldier over and holds on to rifle as his arm changes into a pointed blade, stabbing the soldier. 

A couple more soldiers try to shoot David, causing him to fire the rifle he had taken from the soldier.

"Take cover!" One of them shout as they continue shooting at him to no effect.

"Ahh!" A soldier cries as David gets him. As he moves towards the building David manages to shoot all the soldiers.

David heads to the security post as he finished shooting all the soldiers. He reaches it and the keypad.

He holds the metal side with his right arm and uses his left to punch buttons on his arms, punching in the access codes once he had gotten the information. 

He moves through the different levels of security, unlocking area 4 just as Jack comes into view.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Have we thought this part of the plan through?" As they arrive at the base, driving towards the security post.

"This isn't gonna be pretty, brace yourselves." Jack warns as the SUV comes up right behind David.

"How are we going to stop him, Jack?" Gwen calls out anxiously.

"Like this." Jack answers as he turns and rams David down with the SUV, causing him to hit the concrete. Jack stops the SUV

As they exit the SUV David tries to continue his journey, now dragging his body with his arms.

Jack runs up to David and turns him over as Gwen reaches them and takes out the scanner.

"This wasn't supposed to happen today." Jack tells David as he pulls his gun on him. "How do we stop it?"

"Gwen?" Jack asks as Gwen fiddles with the scanner.

"Argh!" Jack calls out as David pierces him clear through the chest.

"Ooh! Doesn't matter. You can't stop us. We know what your weakness is. We know who you are, Jack Harkness. We know all about you, and Torchwood. We got a lot of information before you switched her off. You'll be factored into our plans." David taunts Jack in the alien voice.

"Oh. Gwen?" Jack manages to gasp out.

"Nearly there. I've got it. He's done." Gwen yells as she pulls the scanner away.

"Ohhh!" Jack calls out as he pulls himself off the blade, pointing his gun at David.

"Don't bother, your transmitter's dead. And so's your force-field." Jack glares at David when he looks at his blade.

"You're lying." The alien tries Jack.

"Oh, yeah?" Jack smirks before shooting David. Beth flinches and turns her head away as David spews blood from his mouth.

"Factor that into your plans." Jack taunts David as he gurgles. "Now, when are the others coming?"

"They're already here." David laughs as they look at him with shock and anger.

There's a beeping and David opens his palm to reveal a detonator.

"I won't let you take me." David laughs at them.

"Run!" Jack yells as he turns and run, Beth and Gwen copying his action. 

The three are thrown off their feet by the blast but are safe.

"Whew!" Jack laughs as they lay on the ground. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You ok?" Ianto asks as he enters Jack's office.

"I've had better days." Jack sighs as he leans back in his chair.

"The Doctor called." Ianto informs Jack as places a coffee on Jack's desk.

"When?" Jack asks with confusion as he sips on his coffee.

"When you were out playing the dashing hero." Ianto smiles, glad to have Jack back in the safety of the Hub. Having an immortal lover didn't put his mind to rest, especially with their job.

"Weren't the phone lines down?" Jack asks as he puts his mug down, pulling Ianto into his lap.

"Seems Tosh isn't the only technological genius on the team." Ianto replies as he moulds himself against his lover.

"What did he want?" Jack asks as he rests his head against Ianto's chest, contently listening to his lover's heartbeat.

"Wanted to talk to Jestine." Ianto sighs.

"Did you tell him?" Jack's voice is filled with sadness, he could tell from Jestine's stories that she and The Doctor were close.

"Yeah, but he says she should be awake in a few days." Ianto smiles into his lover's neck.

"Really, that's great." Jack beams, glad that the newest member of their team would be ok in a few days.

"But he did warn us that she won't be back to normal till up to a month." Ianto warned.

"By normal you mean?" Jack asks his lover, puzzled.

"She won't be super human for a while, which apparently will make her emotional so we have to try and make sure she doesn't push herself too much." Ianto answers, drawing his head back so he could look at his lover's face.

Jack smiles up at the man looking at him, no where had he felt more at home than with Ianto.

"She knew it could happen, she knew if she pushed too hard her mind could be fried." Ianto mutters.

"Why would she do it then?" Jack looks at Ianto sadly, not understanding why she would put her life on the line.

"The Doctor reckoned it was because of you, said she idolises you more than anyone he has ever known." Ianto replies.

Jack laughs, till he realises that Ianto was serious.

"She doesn't, she can't." Jack shakes his head in disbelief.

"The Doctor thinks so." Ianto replies.

Jack shakes his head again. Jestine wouldn't. Jack knew the only reason so many idolised him so much was because they had no one to compare to. They didn't know of others who had travelled through time and/or space, he was so unique to them. But Jestine knew The Doctor. How she could idolise Jack after knowing The Doctor, no one ever idolised anyone else after knowing The Doctor.

"Does make sense." Ianto interrupts Jack's train of thought.

"How?" Jack couldn't believe there was any chance of Jestine thinking so highly of him.

"Well she purposely came to this time, she could have come at any point in history but she came here. And while you were away she kept telling us that you were coming back and stopped us hating you." Ianto explains.

"Did you hate me?" Jack asks, temporarily distracted from the conservation.

"I could never hate you, I saw you were chasing after The Doctor, you had been waiting for him for over a century, how could I hate you for just trying to get answers." Ianto replies before pulling Jack into a passionate kiss to show him just how much he meant to him.

"I love you so much Cariad, nothing could ever change that." Ianto tells Jack once they broke apart for air.

"I love you too and will forever." Jack whispers, stroking Ianto's cheek softly.

Ianto smiles at Jack, bringing his hand to enclose on Jack's, wishing he could believe Jack. He knew Jack loved him now, but Jack would live for millions, even billions of years after he was dead and Ianto wasn't going to kid himself into believing that Jack wouldn't love anyone else in all that time. Ianto was aware of just how small he will be in Jack's life but what they had now was enough for him.

"You know, we never got to finish that date." Jack tells Ianto as they sit on his chair, soaking up the quite moment.

"It's ok, I had fun with the time we had and there is always another time." Ianto rest his head on Jack's shoulder, breathing in the unique smell that was his lover.

"I promise as soon as this is all over and Jestine is back with us you are going to have the best date you have ever had." Jack kisses Ianto lightly on the lips.

"I'm looking forward to it." Ianto smiles. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"We're set with the cryogenics when you're ready." Gwen tells Beth as she enters the autopsy room. 

"Will it work this time?" Beth asks concerned.

"Tosh has reconfigured the casket. It'll work around the implant. No more false images." Gwen reassures Beth.

"If we'd been one minute later..." Beth mutters.

"We weren't. We stopped him." Gwen interjects.

"Then what happens when you have to stop me? If the freezing doesn't work?" Beth looks to Gwen.

"It won't come to that." Gwen tries to reassure Beth.

"I can feel it coming. It's pushing me out. What will you do when I lose my last bit of me?" Beth looks at Gwen before looking at her arm in concern.

"We will figure something out, Beth." Gwen tries to calm her down.

"No, we won't. I'm too dangerous for that, we both know it." Beth replies.

"Do you ... have someone ... at home?" Beth asks Gwen.

"A fiancé." Gwen answers, smiling at the thought of Rhys.

"Have you ever hurt them?" Beth looks at Gwen.

"More than once, yes." Gwen admits as she remembers guilty of the many times she had hurt Rhys, especially when she had slept with Owen. Sure Rhys didn't know but that didn't stop her feeling bad about it.

"Remember how guilty you felt?" Beth asks, Gwen nods.

"Imagine that ... times a billion ... all the time ... every second of the day. That's how I feel now. And the worst part is, when I turn back, I won't feel guilty any more. I'll want to carry out my mission. I won't even care about Mike. I'll forget all about him. I don't wanna die as one of those things, Gwen. I don't wanna forget about Mike." Beth pleads to Gwen.

"Then don't. Let's do this. Who knows what we'll be able to do in a month? A year?" Gwen tries to comfort Beth.

"Thanks for being so good to me. Remember me the way I am now. Remember ... Beth." Beth smiles at Gwen as her arm beeps.

Suddenly she holds the arm at Gwen with the blade appearing. Gwen gasps as she backs away from Beth who slowly advances.

"Beth ... Beth ..." Gwen tries to break Beth from the trance.

"I won't let you freeze me!" Beth calls in her alien voice as she grabs Gwen by the throat and pulls Gwen out into the hub.

"I'll kill you all!" Beth calls out to the team.

The team run over, their guns pointed at Beth.

"Let her go!" They call out as they come to a stop in front of Beth.

"No! No, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, don't shoot! It's a trick. She won't hurt me. She won't hurt me." Gwen calls out, trying to calm the team. 

"Move away from her now!" Tosh calls out.

"Everybody, calm down! Beth ... Beth ... you don't want to do this. Let Gwen go." Jack tries to take control of the situation.

"I'll kill her first, then all of you, then the rest of your miserable species!" Beth taunts them in her alien voice.

"Beth, please! They will kill you. You have proved to be better than that; you helped us to stop the invasion. You can be human. Please! Beth!" Gwen tries to plea with Beth.

Beth shakes her head before saying, "Not human enough."

"Beth ..." Gwen pleads.

"Goodbye, Gwen." Beth tells Gwen

"Good luck." She whispers before pulling her arm back causing the team to shot.

Gwen gasps as Beth falls back. 

"She wanted you to shoot her! She used her last shred of humanity to do this." Gwen yells when Jack and Owen run to her, their guns still trained on Beth.

"We couldn't take that chance. She must have known that." Owen comes to the realisation.

"She did." Jack agrees as he puts his gun down. "She just wanted to make it easier for us." He adds sadly.

Gwen reaches out and holds Beth's hand as the rest of the team looks on silently.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You did the right thing Jack." Ianto tries to comfort Jack as they sit in his office looking at the alien blade.

"No I didn't. This whole case was filled with mistakes. Jestine could have died because of me. People did because we played with technology we didn't understand. A woman used the last of her humanity to help us kill her, she died an enemy after everything she did for us." Jack looks over at Ianto, the toll of the last few days clear on Jack's face.

"Jack you can't blame yourself every time something goes wrong. Jestine knew what she was getting herself into. It isn't your fault Jestine pushed herself to far, you never asked her to idolise you, she just can't help it. Hell none of us can. You save the day for a living. How could anyone not idolise you for that." Ianto reaches over and grasps Jack's free hand.

"I just wouldn't have thought her of all people, not after knowing The Doctor. It's different for you lot. You don't know any better, you haven't met The Doctor, I'm just a poor imitation." Jack sighs, he really had thought that Jestine was different. It had been refreshing, she was someone who understood him but didn't put him on a pedestal that he would only fall from.

"You are no ones imitation. You are your own man. I couldn't love you if you were anyone else. Jack." Ianto gently lifts Jack's chin, making his lover look him in the eye. "The Doctor made it clear that Jestine knew who you were the good and the bad but she still wanted to be like you. Doesn't that tell you something?"

Jack can't help but doubt this, he wasn't someone to idolise. He had made so many mistakes in his long life, had killed so many, directly and indirectly. No one could idolise someone like that. Jack couldn't help but think how the team would react if they knew what he was really like. If they knew all the things he had done in the past, both as a Time Agent and while working for Torchwood. He knew they couldn't possibly look at him the same, yet here was Jestine, someone who seemed to know him and she still wanted to be like him.

"I know you find it hard to believe but you really are a good man, everyone makes mistakes. You may be immortal but you are still only human, it is only natural that some of the choices you make don't end up with a happy ending but you can't blame yourself, especially for others actions." Ianto strokes Jack's cheek, hoping his lover would believe him. Ever since he had mentioned what The Doctor had said, Jack had been beating himself up over Jestine.

"Please Cariad, you have to stop blaming yourself. I'm sure once Jestine is awake she will be telling you the same thing." Ianto continues to try and lift Jack's mood.

"I guess you are right." Jack accepts Ianto's thought, leaning in to kiss Ianto.

"Oh, sorry, not interrupting anything am I? I can come back." Gwen interrupts the moment.

"It's ok Gwen, I was just leaving." Ianto mutters, his own face a deep shade of red of having been caught about to kiss Jack.

"You aren't going any where." Jack pulls Ianto back down on the couch. "I'm sure what ever Gwen has to tell me she can say in front of you." Jack turns to Gwen.

"No it's ok, I can go, I can talk tomorrow." Gwen replies, not wanting to be there with both of them.

"It's ok Gwen, we don't mind listening." Jack grins at Gwen, encouraging her to sit down and continue.

Gwen looks at them both for a moment, not sure of what to do before sitting on the chair in front of Jack's desk.

"Just wanted to know if you thought know whether we stopped it." Gwen hopes this is the last they see of the sleeper agents.

"Maybe. Maybe we've just put it off for a while, I don't know. We don't know anything." Jack replies honestly as he leans on Ianto's shoulder. 

He is too caught up with Ianto to notice the flash of jealously across Gwen's face.

"But we know plenty now. We know about the implant. We can disable their force-field. We know how they attack. We know that they can be killed. Surely that counts for something." Gwen looks between the two men, wishing it was her shoulder Jack was resting on.

"Well they think they have the element of surprise, we know they haven't. That works in our favour. We do stand a chance. But, until that day, we just keep doing what we do." Ianto answers.

"Oh, them be fightin' words, they be, Ianto." Jack speaks in a pirate voice while swinging the arm around like a sword. They all chuckle, glad for a moment of lightness.

"So, have you set a date?" Jack asks after a few minutes of silence, the three all thinking over the last few days.

"Oh, don't get me started, please. My mam's already been on the phone, saying, 'What about the local church, Gwen? It's ever so lovely.'" Gwen moans at her mothers interfering in her wedding, while wishing it wasn't Rhys that she was marrying.

"Good. Go home. Keep doing what we do." Jack smiles at Gwen, glad that she was keeping hold of her life outside of Torchwood.

Gwen nods to both Jack and Ianto.

"Good night boys." Gwen smiles before leaving Jack and Ianto alone.

"Do you think we can beat them if they come back?" Ianto asks Jack quietly as they listen to Gwen leave.

"I honestly don't know." Jack admits. "Now I think it is time you went home. You haven't left since this case started." Jack helps Ianto up.

"I can't leave, what if Jestine needs me, she could wake soon." Ianto tries to argue against leaving The Hub.

"The Doctor said we still had a few more days and I can set up an alarm. She wouldn't want to wake up only to have you collapse from exhaustion." Jack debunks his lover's arguments.

"Please Jack can we stay here." Ianto doesn't want to go back to his place, not without Jestine.

"You ok?" Jack asks, concern at Ianto not wanting to go back to his place.

"No." Ianto admits. "I just don't want to go back there, not while Jestine is still not well. It just won't be the same without her there. I can't go back." Ianto replies.

"Hey its ok, look if you really want we can stay here till she wakes up, just please don't push yourself. Torchwood couldn't survive with both of you down. I couldn't survive with you down." Jack leads Ianto to his bunk.

"Thank you." Ianto smiles at Jack before climbing down the ladder leading to Jack's room.

Jack looks across to the direction of the room that Jestine now lay in. "Please come back to us soon, we all need you." Jack whispers before climbing down into the room that he no longer called home but to the man that made him feel at home no matter where he was.

**Hope you enjoyed it, first time writing The Doctor so please let me know what you think, will try and update again soon but unfortunately no promises, till next time have fun**


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry this one took a while, things have been hectic and have been trying to work on my other story more, bit of a short chapter sorry, not much happening, just a filler really but really wanted to bring The Doctor in for a little bit, please tell me what you think of how I wrote him, was trying for the 11****th**** Doctor but think I wrote a little too much 10****th**** Doctor, once again thank you so so much for everyone who reads/reviews/alerts/favourites, if it weren't for you I would have given up so long ago, hope you enjoyed, please tell me what you think**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Torchwood, *sighs* if only**

Jack woke up later, wrapped in the arms of Ianto. He allowed himself to be lost in the moment, the feel of his lover surrounding him, the unique smell that was Ianto Jones all around him. Jack breathed in once more before disentangling himself from his lover. Jack kisses Ianto lightly on the forehead before making his way up the ladder.

Jack startles a little as he spies a blue police box parked between the work stations. He grins as he strokes one of the walls, feeling her buzzing in return. He feels her pushing him towards the medical room.

"Ok, ok, I'm going." He chuckles before moving off to the medical room.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack pauses as he reaches the medical room, noticing a man in a tweed jacket sitting beside Jestine's bed, his back to Jack.

Without seeing his face, Jack could recognise the jacket from the memories that Jestine had shown him, this was The Doctor, her Doctor.

"You really are your father's daughter, getting into trouble where ever you go." The Doctor chuckles as he speaks to Jestine.

Jack clears his throat to alert The Doctor to his presence.

"Oh, didn't see you there." The Doctor turns around startled.

"Wow, you do look so much younger." Jack exclaims as he sees The Doctor properly.

"Loving the braces but the bow tie not so much." Jack grins at The Doctor.

"Bow ties are cool." The Doctor glares at Jack before continuing. "And at least I'm wearing clothes." Jack had forgotten to put on anything other than the boxes he had slept in.

"You love it." Jack grins at The Doctor who just shakes his head while laughing. He was glad to be seeing this Jack. It had been too long since he had seen Jack so happy and flirty.

"So do you really think she will be ok?" Jack asks The Doctor as he pulls up another chair on the other side of Jestine.

"She will be, eventually." The Doctor replies, his voice tinged with sadness.

"How long?" Jack stares down at the young girl.

"I don't know. It will probably take longer than I thought; she hasn't been looking after herself." The Doctor answers sadly.

"What do you mean, not looking after herself?" Jack questions The Doctor.

The Doctor sighs. "She pushes herself far too much, tries to prove herself."

Jack looks down at the girl, realising just how much he hadn't seen about her.

"How did I miss it, I thought she was doing ok?" Jack asks sadly. That was something he prided himself on, caring for his staff and noticing if anything was up. Ever since that day where Ianto had accused him of not caring he made sure to never make that mistake again, yet here was proof that he had failed.

"It's not you're fault. I doubt she stood still long enough for you to notice and she would have been hiding it anyway. Too busy looking after others to look after herself." The Doctor tries to reassure Jack.

"What is it with Torchwood and people not looking after themselves?" Jack mutters to himself.

"Huh?" The Doctor looks up from Jestine.

"Just thinking of how Ianto is the same, I'm sorry, had I realised I would have done something." Jack replies, making a vow to himself to make sure that he kept an eye on the girl and not let her neglect herself again.

"Ah, yes Ianto Jones." The Doctor replies, breaking into a grin.

Jack raises an eyebrow at The Doctor's reaction.

"You have a good man in Ianto Jones, make sure he knows just how much he means to you." The Doctor offers Jack.

"I do, every moment that I'm with him." Jack smiles thinking of the gorgeous Welshman asleep in their bed under his office.

"Good, good." The Doctor mutters before they fall into silence.

"God, what is that?" Jack asks as something brushes against his leg.

The Doctor chuckles before bending down and picking up a strange animal.

"Don't worry, just Teulu." The Doctor replies as he brings it to his chest, giving Jack a clear view of the creature.

"That's not a Furmer is it?" Jack asks as he takes in the creature. It was similar to lizards found on Earth but deep blue with wings and a clawed tail.

"Yep." The Doctor replies as he strokes the creature.

Jack looks at the creature with wonder. "How did you get it to not rip you to shreds?" Jack asks, the Furmer notorious for their aggressive behaviour.

"Wasn't me, it's all Jestine." The Doctor replies.

"How?" Jack looks at it with disbelief.

"She seems to have a way with people and creatures." The Doctor shrugs in reply while indicating to Jack to pat it.

"How did you get it?" Jack as he reaches out to pat the creature.

"Him. Long story, Jestine rescued him; get her to tell you when she wakes up." The Doctor responds as he smiles at Jack patting the creature.

"So why is he here?" Jack asks after a few moments patting the creature.

"Thought he might want to see Jestine, he misses her." The Doctor answers as he offers the creature to Jack.

"Really?" Jack asks with a raised eyebrow as he looks at the creature in his arms.

"They were inseparable; it took a lot to convince her to not take him." The Doctor looks down at the girl.

"Why didn't she bring him, easy way to get in." Jack remarks.

"She thought it might be suspicious if she had him, almost thought she wouldn't leave in the end because it meant leaving him behind." The Doctor answers.

Jack looks at The Doctor in surprise, Jestine didn't seem the type to be attached to anything or anyone so for her to have a pet she was obviously close to was a surprised to Jack.

"She can care deeply about others, it just takes her longer than most people and even then she will do whatever she can to hide how she feels." The Doctor speaks, seeming to have read Jack's mind.'

The two men sit in silence as they watch the girl on the bed, the only sound being the slow beep of the monitor indicating her heart rate.

"You know, she wouldn't have been the first to bring a pet with her." Jack chuckles thinking of how Ianto had finally managed to convince him on letting him join.

"Aw, yes, your Pteranodon had a nice chat with her." The Doctor grins.

"You can speak Pteranodon?" Jack asks The Doctor.

"Nope, not a word." The Doctor grins at Jack.

All Jack can do is laugh and shake his head; it seemed this regeneration was just as crazy as the last.

"Ah, Jack, before I forget, Jestine will need this when she wakes up." The Doctor hands Jack a metal bracelet. He looks at it with curiosity, why would Jestine need it.

"Her barriers will be down; she won't be able to control her ability." The Doctor explains. "She will hear everything everyone around her is thinking. This will block it for her till she has recovered enough to be able to block it out herself."

"Do you think she really would need it?" Jack asks, sure Jestine had been through a bit but it didn't take much effort to be able to block people.

"She will. Her ability is too strong; it would take her too much energy to be able to block everyone's thoughts." The Doctor replies as he strokes Jestine's hair.

Jack sits back and watches The Doctor, amazed at the tenderness and love that he showed for the girl.

"Why did you raise her?" Jack asks.

"I owed her that much." The Doctor looks up, looking Jack in the eyes.

"Because of me she never knew either of parents. I should have been there." The Doctor looks sadly at the girl, his eyes filled with unshed tears.

"What happened to her parents?" Jack hopes to be able to find out something about Jestine.

"I can't tell you Jack, anything you want to know about Jestine you need to ask her yourself. And if she won't answer you, you need to respect that. There are some things she can't tell you and some things she won't want you to know." The Doctor looks at Jack sternly.

"Ok." Jack puts his hands up in surrender; even with his new regeneration The Doctor was easily able to intimidate Jack.

Jack gently puts Teulu gently on the bed, watching as the creature snuggled up to its owner. Jack could have sworn that he saw a smile flicker across Jestine's face.

"How did her mother know Rose?" Jack asks as he watches the rhythm of Jestine breathing in and out.

"Huh?" The Doctor looks at Jack confused.

"She told me that she was named after Rose. How did her mother know her?" Jack looks at The Doctor. This was one thing he wanted to know about the girl more than anything else. If there was someone else out there that knew Rose Tyler and what she had done, he wanted to know them.

"They travelled with us for a stage." The Doctor replies.

"When?" Jack asks, he had never heard of anyone else travelling with The Doctor and Rose.

"Does it really matter?" The Doctor glares at Jack; clearly it was not a subject he wanted to talk about.

"Yes it does. I need someone who understands. It's lonely sometimes; no one understands what it is like travelling with you. They don't understand the beauty of the world beyond the skies. They don't know what it is like to be some where different every time you step out of the door." Jack answers passionately.

"Telling you about Jestine's parents isn't going to change that. She hasn't even been born in their timelines yet." The Doctor tries to end the discussion.

"But at least there would be someone for me to talk to, someone who knows Rose, knows what she did." Jack pleads with The Doctor.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you."

"But I need someone who understands."

"Talk to Jestine then. She grew up travelling with me; she knows what it is like and Martha. Jack you don't need to go chasing after someone to understand what it is like; you have two people right in front of you and I'm sure Ianto would like to know more about your travels."

"It's not the same. They didn't travel with Rose. I miss her so much sometimes and just want someone to talk to about her." Jack admits. The century and a half that he spent waiting for The Doctor his thoughts had often turned to the blond Londoner that had turned his life upside down. She had helped change him for the better. And while he would never see her again, he wished that he could at least have someone to talk to about her.

"I miss her too; I miss all the people I've travelled with." The Doctor admits too.

Jack snorts at this statement. After what The Doctor had said about him, he doubted he would really miss him.

"I'm sorry for what I've said in the past. You aren't wrong. You are such an amazing person; it just took me a while to see that. Although I do still think you are an impossible person Jack, but you were even before Rose brought you back." The Doctor apologises to Jack, hoping he might believe it.

Jack looks deep into the brown eyes staring at him, seeing the regret and honesty shinning in them.

Jack nods his acceptance of the apology.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Jack?" Jack looks up as he hears Ianto calling his name. The Doctor looks up too before looking at his watch.

"Sorry Jack, time for me to go." The Doctor explains, grabbing Teulu, who let out a whine at being separated from his owner.

Jack thinks for a second. "Wait, if you don't mind, maybe we could keep him for a little bit, have something to keep Jestine company?"

The Doctor looks at the Furmer in his arms then Jack and then Jestine.

"If you don't mind." The Doctor answers.

"Of course we won't, give Myfanwy a friend." Jack smiles.

"I'll just grab some things for him then." The Doctor smiles as he dumps the Furmer back onto Jestine before sprinting off.

"Um Jack, what's going on?" Ianto asks as he enters the room.

"The Doctor stopped by to see how Jestine was." Jack replies.

"And what is that?" Ianto asks as he watches Teulu snuggle back up to Jestine. "Was there an alert while I was asleep?"

"No, no alerts, the rift has been quiet. He's Jestine's pet. I um, asked The Doctor if it was ok for him to stay here for Jestine. Is that ok with you?" Jack asks Ianto, worried that the Welshman mightn't be happy with another animal around the Hub.

"If he is going to help Jestine how could I say no?" Ianto smiles as he wraps his arms around Jack's waist.

"Is there some rule about not being allowed to wear clothes here or something?" The Doctor asks as he enters the room, noticing that Ianto too was wearing only boxers.

"Well you are in my home." Jack points out.

"Still you could put on some clothes." The Doctor mutters as he puts the box down.

"How nice to finally meet you in person." The Doctor grins as he turns to Ianto, holding his hand out.

"You too." Ianto shakes The Doctor's hand.

"Anyway, must be heading off, time and places to see." The Doctor grins, turning to leave.

"Oh, one thing before I leave, could you give this to Toshiko for me." The Doctor pauses and fishes out a CD.

"What is it?" Jack asks as he takes the CD.

"Just something to help her with one of her projects. Also please pass on my apologies for not talking to her about the phones, I promise next time I will." The Doctor answers before walking out of the room.

Jack places the CD on top of the box before pulling Ianto into a hug, smiling as he hears the familiar sound of the TARDIS leaving.

"Did you two have a good talk?" Ianto asks as they break free from each other.

"Yeah." Jack smiles.

"Good, you look like the world has been lifted from your shoulders." Ianto smiles as he pulls up a chair next to Jestine so he and Jack can sit side by side.

"So what are we going to do about Jestine's pet?" Ianto asks as they watch the animal curled up on the youngest team member's chest, breathing perfectly in synch.

"Not sure, not much is known about them, they tend to be too vicious for anyone to get near." Jack replies.

Ianto jumps back at this, his instincts telling him to keep far away from something that was likely to kill him, instincts that served him well at Torchwood.

"She can't keep him then if he is a danger to the team." Ianto tells Jack as he looks at the creature with suspicion.

"I don't think this one is, he seems tame, The Doctor says Jestine has a way with animals."

Ianto looks at the animal wearily before moving back to where he had been before.

"If you are sure. Do you know what he eats?"

"Maybe there is something in the box." Jack suggest as he moves to look through it.

"Does he have a name?" Ianto asks as he watches Jack look through the box, enjoying the sight.

"Yeah, Teulu." Jack replies as he reads the paper he had found in the box the appeared to have instructions on how to care for the animal.

"Really?" Ianto looks at Jack in surprise.

"Yeah, why, is it important?" Jack asks, confused by Ianto's reaction.

"No, no, just it's Welsh for family." Ianto answers.

"That's interesting." Jack replies as he hands the sheet to Ianto so he too can read it.

"Doesn't look like he will be too much trouble to deal with then, although once Jestine is awake it will be her job." Ianto tells Jack once he has finish reading the instructions.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Jack asks as the settle down to watch Jestine.

"Not today." Ianto grins before leaning in for a kiss which Jack happily returned.

**Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you thought, hope you enjoyed it, till next time, have fun xx**


	22. Chapter 22

**First post for the year, so totally broken my new years resolution, I am so so sorry for how long this chapter has taken to be posted. Things have just been so crazy for the last few months. Could only get a spare hour here and there to work on this. Thank you to anyone still reading this, I don't know how I would do it if I thought no one was reading. Thank you also to any one who has reviewed/alerted/favourited this story, makes my day to open my inbox to alerts and reviews.**

**Just a few quick notes before I start the story. In the series Gwen is obviously having a holiday with Rhys to recover from Meat. This has not happened yet in my story, so instead Jack has just given Gwen a couple of days off to make up for when he was away. That is why she isn't in the first bit. There is a time jump between the first bit and then when Gwen enters. If there are any questions about anything else, please feel free to let me know, happy to answer any queries people have as I know when I write at three in the morning it doesn't always makes sense**

**Disclaimer: While I got a sonic screwdriver and Torchwood Archives for Christmas, I didn't get the rights to Torchwood. They still belong to RTD and BBC, maybe if I'm really really good this year I might get them, or bribe Santa**

Jack smiles as he watches Ianto prepare the first round of coffees for the day. How he had been so lucky to find Ianto and keep him after all the mistakes he had made Jack would never know. Jack's thoughts were interrupted by the blearing of the alarm announcing the arrival of Tosh and Owen. Jack's grin spreads as he observes Owen's and Tosh's hands linked.

He bounds down to the main level to join his team as Ianto comes round with the coffee.

"Have a good night?" Jack smirks at Owen and Tosh.

Tosh blushes as Owen glares, both happy to be together but not quiet comfortable yet for Jack to tease them.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The team sit around the conference room, enjoying their coffees before they start work.

"Perfect like normal." Jack grins as he takes his first sip of coffee for the day, causing Ianto to blush.

"Any change in Jestine?" Tosh asks as they sit enjoying their coffee.

Jack grins. "The Doctor came last night."

Tosh takes in the information with a mixture of emotions. She was happy if his visit had helped Jestine in any way but she was also upset at missing the chance to talk to the remarkable man again.

"Did he tell you anything helpful?" Owen looks to Jack.

"Not much." Jack replies sadly. "He thinks it could take longer than he initially thought as she doesn't seem to have been looking after herself." Jack replies, wishing that he had good news.

"How long does he think then?" Tosh leans forward, hoping it wouldn't be too much longer, the Hub didn't feel the same without Jestine rushing around doing a million things at once.

"He isn't sure." Jack answers, almost wishing The Doctor hadn't come at all, he hated having to tell the team that Jestine would be out of action for even longer.

Just then Owen saw movement in the corner of his eye. Normal people would have dismissed it but for a Torchwood operative to ignore such things could equal death.

Owen whips his gun out in seconds, aiming for where he had seen the strange blue shape.

The team are startled by the sudden movement and Owen pulling his gun.

"Owen, what's wrong?" Jack asks.

"There was some strange blue thing over there a moment ago." Owen replies, his eyes scanning the area. "Did you pick up something during then night?"

Jack lets out a chuckle as he realises what had just happened.

Owen glances at his boss, concern about his reaction.

"It's just Jestine's pet." Ianto explains.

"Jestine's pet?" Tosh and Owen look to Ianto in confusion, when they had left last night Jestine certainly didn't have a pet. And knowing what they did about Jestine, there was no telling what said pet could be, although dangerous would be a good guess.

"The Doctor dropped him off last night, apparently he was missing Jestine." Jack replies as Ianto coaxes the animal out. The Furmer had taken a shinning to Ianto so allowed himself to be handled without a problem.

"Wow." Tosh lets out an exclamation as she lays eyes on the creature curled up in Ianto's arms.

"What is that thing?" Owen looks over the creature with curiosity, the doctor in him wanting to study it and work out everything about it.

"This is a Furmer. They are found in the 43rd century on a planet known as Murmston. Not much is known about them though, as they tend to be too vicious to observe at close distances." Jack tells them as the move to have a better look at the animal. But at the last bit both jumped back.

"It's ok. Teulu won't hurt you; Jestine seems to have tamed him." Ianto reassures them.

"You sure?" Tosh asks unsure, she really didn't want to have her hand bitten off or anything.

"Yeah, he's ok." Ianto moves closer to his teammates.

Tosh tentatively holds out her hand and strokes the creature. It purrs its affection at the stroking, surprising Tosh and Owen.

Ianto carefully transfers the animal to Tosh's arms, Tosh marvelling at how placid the animal was, especially after what Jack had said.

"What do we know about it?" Owen asks as he gently pats Teulu.

"There's a folder on my desk, just notes and things Jestine has kept about him, although some of it should probably be taken with a grain of salt." Jack informs Owen as Ianto collects the folder, sounding a little put out.

Owen rises an eyebrow questioning.

"From what we can work out Jestine has had him since about four or five. So some of the notes may be just child imagination, although the some of the drawings are good." Ianto explains as he comes back with the file, chuckling.

"Oh and before we forget, The Doctor dropped this off for you." Ianto hands Tosh the CD The Doctor had left for her. Tosh looks at it oddly before shrugging and turning to look at the file.

Owen looks at the file with curiosity, Tosh moving over so she can look at the information too, although she mostly wanted to see these pictures. She just couldn't imagine Jestine as a child drawing; it seemed too ordinary for such an extraordinary person.

Owen reads through the information, laughing at some of the drawings and stories the young girl had drawn and written.

"Oh my god." Tosh starts giggling when she looks at one particular picture. Owen looks across to see what was so funny. He took in the blob with teeth biting a stick figure. He couldn't stop a chuckle escaping when he read the child's writing labelling the stick figure as Jack.

"So you found Jack's favourite picture." Ianto grins as Jack glares at him.

"You reckon this really happened?" Tosh asks once she calms herself down.

"Better not." Jack sulks, he did not find the picture funny.

"I think this deserves to be stuck on the fridge." Owen smirks, loving a chance to tease Jack.

Jack just glares at the team and sulks. Ianto rolls his eyes, having already been through this with his lover.

"Come on Jack, just because Jestine drew it doesn't mean it does happen or that she wants to have it happen. It was probably just something she thought of, you know how children are." Ianto tries to pull Jack out of his sulk. For a man so old, Jack could act like such a petulant child at times.

Owen and Tosh continue to laugh at the behaviour of their boss, watching Ianto try and stop the man sulking.

"Would you just stop." Ianto glares at his lover.

"If you kiss me." Jack smirks, taking any chance to kiss his Welshman.

Ianto sighs and rolls his eyes before pressing a chaste kiss on Jack's lips.

"There now stop sulking."

"That wasn't a kiss." Jack pouts.

"Tough, that's all you are getting; now go finish your paperwork." Ianto orders Jack.

Jack sticks out his tongue before going to his office, leaving Tosh giggling and Owen laughing.

"Do not encourage him." Ianto glares at them before starting to clean up the used mugs.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack walks down from his office with a locked Torchwood box.

"Unlabeled Class D artefacts. Tosh, I need you to run a full check.' He tells Tosh as he puts it down on the table.

"Sure." Tosh smiles as she gets to work.

"Owen, you can help." Jack turns to the doctor.

"Happy to." Owen replies.

"Adam, I know how much you love audits." Jack turns to a blond man.

"Ah, it's gotta be done." Adam sighs.

"If you could ..." Jack starts.

"..go through the reports, find out when they came through the Rift." Adam finishes Jack's sentence for him.

"You okay with that?" Jack asks as Gwen arrives through the cog door.

"I have been for the last three years." Adam smiles before noticing Gwen and his smile fades.

"You're late." Jack tells Gwen.

"I know, Rhys was clingy this morning." Gwen sighs, wishing she was still in bed with her fiancé.

She turns and looks at Adam, having just noticed that there was a strange man in the Hub.

"Who the hell is this?" Gwen asks, looking from Adam to the rest of the team. This draws the team's attention from their various tasks, each of them looking at Gwen worriedly. 

"Just cause that's what I said to you on your first day..." Adam smiles as he walks over to Gwen and puts his hand on her shoulder.

"... remember?" Adam asks as Gwen's head is filled with various flashbacks of her and Adam.

"Sorry, couldn't resist. Come here, you! Good to see you." Gwen smiles and hugs Adam.

"Hey, Tosh, you're looking good." Gwen smiles before setting to her task for the day. Tosh smiles as Adam's smile fades to a sneer.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Gwen sighs as she returns home, puzzled at the lights being left on but putting it down to forgetting due to tiredness from her long hours. Maybe she should ask Jack for a few days off.

Rhys smiles as he sees that Gwen has made it home a decent time. He walks up behind her and reaches for her to turn around.

Gwen screams as she sees a strange man in her flat wearing nothing but a robe. Rhys laughs thinking he had startled Gwen again, no matter how many times he did it he always managed to get her.

"Stop it!" Gwen yells as she steps away from him and moves to the kitchen in the hope of finding a weapon.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." Rhys tries to reassure Gwen. Sure she always got scared but she had never seemed this scared before but maybe it was her job at Torchwood. Whatever they did there it had left Gwen jumpy.

" How did you get in?" Gwen asks as she scans for a weapon, her eyes settling on the knife rack.

"With a key!" Rhys replies not sure what was wrong with Gwen.

"What?" Rhys calls in shock as Gwen pulls out a knife from the rack and points it at him. "This isn't funny." He tells her.

"Stay back, all right? Stay back!" Gwen orders Rhys as her eyes are widened with fear for this intruder in her home.

"Gwen, what's going on?" Rhys tries to calm Gwen.

"How do you know my name? Huh?" Gwen asks as she pulls her gun out and cocks it. If he had just been a burglar she couldn't possibly have shot him but there was something more sinister going on.

"I know how to use this. Now, who are you? And what do you want?" Gwen demands as she points the gun at the man.

"You know who I am ..." Rhys replies.

"Fine, if you won't tell me, fine. You stay there." Gwen orders as she pulls out her phone.

"Jack ... yeah, someone's broken into my flat. He had a key. He knows my name." Gwen tells her boss on the phone.

"It's because I live here with you!" Rhys tells her, he is really scared now, this has gone well past a joke.

"Shut it! Shut it!" Gwen yells at Rhys. "Yeah. Can you hurry, Jack? He's a nutter." Gwen tells Jack before hanging up and dropping the phone. "You have picked the wrong girl to stalk, mate." Gwen glares at Rhys as he just stares at her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Gwen?" Rhys calls trying to get her to stop the game as she moves to answer the buzzer.

"Stay there!" Gwen yells at Rhys as she presses the intercom.

"Gwen, it's us!" Jack replies. Gwen sighs with relief as she buzzes him in.

"In here, Jack!" Gwen yells out to Jack from the living room.

"Gwen." Rhys whispers, distraught at what is going on.

Jack and Adam enter the room with their guns pointed at Rhys. Jack looks around in confusion. "What's going on?"

"You tell me. Look!" Gwen picks up a framed photo of her and Rhys.

"He's put photos of us up." Gwen replies as Rhys rolls his eyes. "He must have done it while I was at work. He's deluded! He keeps saying he's my fiancé." Gwen looks to Jack, her eyes filled with fear.

"He is. It's Rhys." Jack tries to persuade Gwen, his mind running at a million miles an hour trying to work out what could be wrong with Gwen.

"I've never seen him before in my life!" Gwen looks at Rhys.

"You've been with him for years." Jack tells Gwen as he steps next to Rhys.

"See!" Rhys turns to Gwen.

"Give me the gun, Gwen." Jack holds out his hand.

"No! He ... he grabbed me, Jack. Who knows what he was going to do?" Gwen refuses to pass up her gun, the only thing making her feel even remotely safe around this mad man.

"How can you say that?" Rhys asks before turning to Jack.

"What have you done to her?" Rhys demands from Jack.

"Nothing." Jack replies, not knowing what is going on and why Rhys would think he would know.

"Oh, come on! I know what kind of sick games you play. Pills that make you forget is that what this is, yeah? Are you fazing me out so you can have her all to yourself? Ianto not enough for you is he?" Rhys yells at Jack, at the end of his tether.

"Hey!" Jack yells as Rhys grabs him. He grabs him back as Gwen steps forward her gun still trained on Rhys.

"Stay away from him!" Gwen yells at Rhys.

"Hey!" Jack puts a hand out to stop Gwen pointing the gun at Rhys.

"We're engaged! I bought you the bloody ring you're wearing!" Rhys pleas with Gwen, close to breaking down.

Gwen slowly raises her hand and sees the ring, her eyes wide with shock. She raises her gun again as Adam steps forward.

"Why don't you come with me to the Hub?" Adam tries at sooth Gwen.

"Who the hell are you?" Rhys frowns at Adam.

"He's one of us." Jack tells Rhys.

"We can check you. Jack will stay and take care of things." Adam suggests.

"Okay." Jack asks Gwen softly.

"Don't let him go. If he comes after me again, I'll kill him." Gwen warns Jack as she lets Adam led her out the door.

"Trust me, I didn't do this. But whatever's happened... we'll put it right." Jack tries to reassure Rhys.

**Hope you enjoyed it, the next chapter is about 80-90% written as it was meant to be apart of this chapter but got too long, so fingers cross shouldn't take as long as this one, things have died down a little for me so might get a chance sometime next week, any questions please let me know, happy to explain anything, till next time, have fun**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 now done, hope that people are pleased that this took no where near as long as the previous chapter, another short one, felt it was a good place to end, the next chapter should finish Adam, although could be a week or so as I have a meeting and two projects next week as well as an exam coming up, thank you to everyone who has alerted/reviewed/favourited this story, I can not tell you how happy it makes me to know that people are reading this story, thank you**

**Disclaimer: Never have and quite likely never will own Torchwood, they belong to RTD and BCC, I just play with them to escape reality**

"Right, well, no signs of long-term damage, as far as I can see. Or alien intervention. But, I must be missing something. I'm sorry, but it's a mystery to me why you can't remember Rhys." Owen tells Gwen as he flashes a pen light in her eyes as Adam watches on. 

"Could we get Jestine to have a look in my mind, maybe she can find something?" Gwen looks between Adam and Owen hopefully.

"Jestine, who is Jestine?" Adam looks at Gwen, his face a mixture of curiosity and something else, something more sinister.

"What do you mean, who is Jestine? That better not have been a joke." Gwen glares at Adam thinking he was making fun of her forgetting the guy who was supposed to be her fiancé.

"I'm not joking; I have no idea who Jestine is." Adam replies, his voice giving a hint of fear.

"Owen I think you should check Adam out too, he seems to have forgotten who Jestine is." Gwen calls to Owen who had gone to grab some paperwork from his desk.

"Who's Jestine?" Owen asks with a frown.

"What do you mean who's Jestine? This isn't funny." Gwen yells at them, she was sick of this.

"We aren't joking Gwen, we really don't know who you are talking about, is she a friend from the police force?" Owen tries and calms Gwen down, he didn't need an angry Gwen on top of everything else.

"You know she isn't from the police force. She works here, remember. She saved us from the weevils while Jack was away." Gwen tries to explain to them.

"Tell us about Jestine." Adam asks Gwen as Owen looks at her confused.

"She's about 19. She has brown hair and blue/grey eyes, about 5'9 tall." Gwen tells them, hoping that it would ring a bell for them, she was starting to get scared, maybe whatever had made her forget this Rhys guy had made them forget Jestine.

"Sorry, have no idea who you are talking about Gwen." Owen looks at Gwen with concern, whatever had made her forget Rhys must have messed with her mind so much that she had created this Jestine person.

"She's real, she works here." Gwen tries to convince them.

"Where is she then?" Adam asks in an almost patronising manner.

"She, she's in the medical room, if we can wake her up she can help." Gwen pleas with them.

"Why would we have someone that young work here, it would be just dangerous and we don't have any medical rooms?" Owen interrupts, trying to make Gwen realise that it wasn't real.

"But Jestine can look after herself, she's travelled with The Doctor, she can shoot and she has some protein thingies that means she heals well." Gwen realises that they don't believe her.

"I don't know who this Doctor guy is but I'm sure that still would not be enough to convince us to let her work here." Adam counters Gwen's information.

"Look let me check the records, if she worked here it would be in the files, especially if she had strange "protein thingies" that made her heal well." Owen starts typing at his computer, hoping solid evidence would dissuade Gwen from thinking this girl was real.

"No, nothing at all, no mention of any Jestine's or strange proteins." Owen tells Gwen once he has looked through the information.

"It might be under another name, Jestine wasn't her real name." Gwen tries to convince them, she couldn't be wrong.

"What was her real name then?" Owen asks patiently, even though his worry for Gwen was increasing at every moment, first she forgot Rhys and now she was making up people. Owen didn't like the signs. He didn't need to be a doctor to know that Gwen's symptoms were pointing to a mental illness.

"I don't know, she didn't tell me. Please you have to believe me, she's real." Gwen pleads with them, seeing in their eyes that they thought she was crazy. "Please, you have to believe me."

Owen looks at Gwen sadly. She was a good colleague, and she didn't deserve whatever was wrong with her.

"Look how about I talk to Jack when he gets back, ask him about this time he was away, maybe I didn't notice or something." Owen tries to make Gwen feel better.

"I'll go do that, how about you continue looking at Gwen's results." Adam offers.

"Ok, thanks mate." Owen agrees, it wasn't a talk he wanted to have at all, he still hoped that he could find something to help Gwen.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack sighs as he enters The Hub. Not only have he spent the best part of an hour with Rhys going over the details on his relationship with Gwen in the hope she would remember some of it but then he had to deal with memories he had long buried resurfacing.

"Any news on Gwen?" Jack asks Adam as he sees the man sitting at his workstation.

"I think we need to talk." Adam replies, his face serious.

"What happened?" Jack is too stressed to even make jokes.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Hey Ianto." Ianto turns around startled, having not heard Adam walked into the kitchen.

"Coffee will be another few minutes." Ianto quickly covers his shock up with a smile.

"Oh come on, you think that's the only reason I want to talk to you." Adam grins at Ianto.

Ianto just looks at him sceptically, no one in the team ever wanted to talk to him unless it was about coffee or something else he could do for them.

"Oh come on, can't I just want to talk to you." Adam slaps Ianto on the back.

"What do you need?" Ianto asks, turning back to the coffee machine.

"Fine, you got me." Adam raises his hands in mock surrender.

"You know the most about this place other than Jack."

"And your point is?" Ianto asks Adam, starting to get sick of the seemly pointless conservation and just wanted Adam to leave him alone.

"Gwen was talking about a medical room, if there were one, where do you reckon it would be?"

"We have the autopsy bay." Ianto replies, unsure why Adam was bringing this up.

"I know, but if we needed a room for non-life threatening cases but still needed the person on site where do you reckon we would put them?" Adam asks anxiously.

"I don't know, don't think we have ever had that situation. Probably one of the lower levels I guess." Ianto shrugs, hoping that Adam would go away. He wasn't sure what it was but Adam was putting him on edge.

"Thanks Ianto." Adam calls out as he leaves, leaving Ianto perplexed at the whole situation.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So, according to the molecular breakdown, this potentially alien complex artefact is, in fact, made out of wood." Tosh reads out the test results to Owen and Ianto.

"Well, perhaps it fell in the crate by mistake. Picked up meson energy from the other stuff." Owen suggest, hoping to please Tosh.

"Yeah, right!" Tosh scoffs.

"Oh, yes, sorry, it's a stupid idea." Owen mumbles.

"I think Jack brought it in." Ianto musses.

"No, I'm sure Adam found it on an excavation a few months back." Tosh replies.

"I'll have a look in the diary. I like to log the interesting stuff, maybe even see if there is a mention of Gwen's girl in the medical rooms too." Ianto offers.

"You write about artefacts in your diary?" Tosh asks Ianto, amused.

"Among other things." He replies, winking before leaving. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What's wrong?" Ianto jumps off the couch startled at the sudden appearance of Adam. He moves away from Adam, something in his diary about Adam has disturbed him.

Adam reaches over and grabs the book that Ianto had placed on the coffee table moments before Adams appearance.

"My diary." Ianto stammers as Adam picks it up.

"You're not in it."

"Everyone else is, even Jestine. The one Gwen was talking about. That's why you wanted to know about the medical room" Ianto stares as Adam flicks through his personal thoughts and feelings.

"Why would I write about a girl who didn't exist but leave out someone who has been here longer than I have?" Ianto questions Adam as Adam moves closer to him.

"It's like I'm remembering a man who doesn't exist." Adam closes the diary, dropping it as his face scrunches up in pain. Ianto watches as Adam's hand flickers before solidifying again.

"What are you?" Ianto asks, terrified, never in all his time at both Torchwood One and Torchwood Three had he seen or heard about anything like this.

"Cross me, and I will fill you full of fake memories until your head is on fire, because that's how I exist." Adam slams Ianto against a wall.

Ianto pushes Adam away from him. "Gwen? What did you do to her?"

"Memory is a very delicate thing. Feeding myself in wiped other memories out. It's a side-effect of what I have to do in order to survive." Adam explains to Ianto as he advances towards him.

"Jack has to know."

Before Ianto can move Adam slams him up against the wall and places his hand against Ianto's forehead. Ianto gasps and chokes.

"Remember this." Adam sneers.

Fake memories push themselves into Ianto's head. Memories of women, dark alleyways and his hands around their necks. Ianto gasps and chokes as Adam taunts him.

"I know you didn't mean to kill her."

"You just couldn't stop yourself."

"Remember this."

Ianto slides down the wall as Adam releases him, reality and the fake memories blurring together, neither making sense. 

"I didn't do that."

"Oh, yes, you did, and she wasn't the first." Adam sneers as he inserts more memories. A women running towards closed warehouse doors, cowering as Ianto approaches.

"Please don't hurt me!" Ianto could hear the girl screaming.

"Good old Ianto, loyal Ianto." Adam taunts as the memories shift to another woman, Ianto following her without her noticing.

"Roaming the streets at night for bait."

"My ... diary!" Ianto gasps as the world changes again.

Adam and Ianto are walking through an alley, Adam holding the diary as Ianto staggers and leans on him.

"All human record is a lie." Adam tells Ianto as he tosses the diary away and hooks his elbow around Ianto's neck.

"You twist it into what you want to believe." Adam taunts as the memory distorts.

Ianto backs away from Adam who is towering over him.

"But we know the rot in your heart. You crave flesh."

"No. Please." Ianto gasps as Adam forces more memories into his mind.

"Remember Jestine. Remember wrapping your hands around her neck. Her struggling but no match for you. Squeezing till she lost consciousness, starving her brain of oxygen, killing her slowly but not enough. Calling me when you couldn't finish the job. How we snuck her into The Hub without Jack knowing. Hooked her up in the basement where she has laid for months no chance of ever waking, all because of you." Adam snarls.

"Remember it. Remember it!" Adam shouts as Ianto screams.

"You know, I forgot what a rush it is, feeding in the bad stuff." Adam smirks before holding Ianto to his chest and kissing him. Adam smirks once more before patting Ianto on the forehead and walking away. Leaving Ianto sobbing on the ground, unsure of what is real and what isn't.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Adam stands over a girl lying on a medical bed, surrounded by machines keeping track of her stats. Adam grins sinisterly at the girl.

He circles the bed, like a shark stalking its prey, ready to attack at any moment.

"You intrigue me, your memories smell so good, so impossible. So many and so varied for one so young. I'm going enjoy messing with your memories." Adam leers at her.

Adam smirks down at the girl as he places his hands on her temples, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers.

After a few moments Adam opens his eyes and frowns at the girl.

"You really think your barriers are going to be able to keep me out." Adam taunts, although it is clear that he is having at least some difficulty.

Adam closes his eyes once more, pressing harder against her skin.

"Come on, come on." Adam mutters as he tries to overcome the barriers stopping him from reaching his goal.

"What the?" Adam jumps back as if he has been shocked.

"Who are you, what are you?" Adam snarls as he once again starts pacing around the bed.

"How are your barriers so strong, even Jack's weren't this strong." He glares at the girl.

"You will not beat me." He snarls before pressing his hands once again against her temple, this time hard enough to mark.

"Come on, let me in you little brat." Adam curses the girl.

He stands there, pushing, trying to break the girl's mind.

After about 15 minutes he steps back with a growl.

"Why can't I see your memories? I can smell them, taste them, so many for a girl so young. Never have any smelt so good, so impossible. Who are you to deny me?" Adam shouts to the girl.

"Why won't you let me in?" Adam screams in the silence.

**So I hope you enjoyed it, please review and let me know what you thought, makes me write faster, till next time, have fun**


	24. Chapter 24

**Episode Adam is now done, will be moving onto To The Last Man soon and then Meat. There is some slight one-sided Gwack in this chapter and in future chapters, as much as I hate it, I have realised that it is needed for later chapters, but rest assure, Gwen will not get her hands on Jack, he belongs to Ianto. Thank you once again to everyone for their support of this story, whether it be through reading/reviewing/alerting or favouriting, I really can not express how much it means to know that there are people out there enjoying my story, as always please let me know what you think of this chapter**

**Disclaimer: Starting to think I might never own Torchwood or Jack or Ianto, that's just depressing. It seems they still remain the property of the BBC and RTD.**

Jack turns as he hears his name whispered upon his return to The Hub.

"Ianto." Jack smiles with relief that it was Ianto, not another reminder of his past.

He moves towards Ianto who is sitting against the spiral stairs to the coffee area.

"Hey." Jack grins until he gets closer. The grin falls from his face as he takes in Ianto's appearance. "What's wrong?"

"You'll have to put me in the vaults. Lock me up. I killed three girls. Strangled them. Hide one in the basement because I couldn't kill her." Ianto sobs.

"Stop kidding around."

"I'm serious. I murdered them, in cold blood. I took their bodies, and ..." Ianto stumbles to his feet, looking around him in fear, still trapped in his bad memories.

"You have to lock me away ... before I turn on you. None of you are safe." Ianto pleads with Jack as he moves towards the vaults.

"Hey, hey." Jack grabs hold of Ianto. "Come here, come here. What's happened to you?" Jack asks softly, he hated seeing a member of his team so upset.

"I'm a monster." Ianto whispers. 

"No, I don't believe you." Jack holds Ianto tightly.

"Just look in the basement if you don't believe me. She was the first one but I couldn't do it and now she is stuck there because of me." Ianto sobs into Jack's coat.

"The basement, you mean Lisa?" Jack's blood turns cold at the mention, remembering the Cyberwomen that Ianto had kept down there for months.

"No, Adam said her name was Jestine. I strangled her, but couldn't finish it. But I still hurt her. She was too brain damage to wake up. But we couldn't tell anyone." Ianto starts rambling.

"How did Adam know her name?" Jack asks, confused that Ianto would even think that Adam knew anything about this. How could he know about something that never happened?

"I...I don't know. He told me that was her name when he helped me get her in here. I'm so sorry Jack." Ianto continues to sob.

"Show me where she is." Jack orders Ianto, hoping that when he saw there was no one there that he would stop thinking that he was a murder.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The two men walk silently to the room that would determine whether Ianto was innocent or not.

Jack's thoughts tumble round his head. Why did Ianto suddenly think he was a murder? Did this have something to do with Gwen forgetting Rhys? Was there something hurting his team?

Jack gasps as they walk into a dimly lit room. There lying on a bed was a girl of no more than 19, just like Ianto had said. But how, Ianto was no murder, he was sure of it.

"I told you." Ianto mutters as he watches the machines telling him that his victim was alive, at least medically. "You need to lock me up now, before I try to kill more." Ianto chokes out.

"No, this can't be right. Something's changed you. You're not a murderer." Jack turns away from the girl, not wanting to face that what Ianto said could be true.

"I killed her, look at her, she could have been anyone, been anything but she never will be because of me." Ianto tells Jack.

"No, I don't believe you." Jack shouts turning to face Ianto.

Suddenly his face breaks into a grin.

"Ianto, look behind you." Jack almost laughs.

Ianto slowly turns around, not sure why Jack was grinning upon finding out his terrible secret.

"Look at the monitor. Her brain waves. If she was brain dead there would be nothing but look." Jack lets out a sigh of relief.

"But how, I remember it. And if I didn't do it how did she get here?" Ianto turns to Jack, still not willing to believe him; the memories were too vivid to be a lie.

"I don't know, but we are going to get to the bottom of this." Jack answers, his face set with determination.

"I'm certain of it." Jack places his hands briefly on Ianto's shoulder before storming out of the room.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack stares at the computer in front of him. On it shows video of Ianto cowering on the floor, Adam standing over him.

"All human record is a lie. You crave flesh. Remember this." Adam taunts Ianto. Jack can't believe what he is seeing.

He turns it off as Ianto starts screaming in the video. He searches further back in the CCTV video, clips of Adam telling the team to remember.

"A year ago today ..." Adam puts his hand on Tosh's neck. "Do you remember that?"

Jack watches as they kiss, confused. Last thing he remembered Tosh and Owen were together. He searches ever further back, finding Gwen entering The Hub.

"Who the hell is this?" Gwen asks, looking from Adam to the rest of the team. This draws the team's attention from their various tasks, each of them looking at Gwen worriedly. 

"Just cause that's what I said to you on your first day..." Adam smiles as he walks over to Gwen and puts his hand on her shoulder.

"... remember?" Adam asks as Gwen's head is filled with various flashbacks of her and Adam.

"Sorry, couldn't resist. Come here, you! Good to see you." Gwen smiles and hugs Adam. 

Jack just stares for a moment before rewinding.

"Remember?"

"Remember?" Jack watches as Adam says this again and again each time he tells the team about something.

Jack suddenly remembers Adam doing the same when he was weevil hunting. Each time, remember.

Jack turns to Ianto pulling him towards the workstation monitor, Ianto resisting the how way. 

"Come here. Come here, just look. Look." Jack points to the screen hoping Ianto would believe him.

Ianto watches as Adam forces the memories into him, hearing himself scream. 

"I told you." Jack smiles briefly.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Where's Adam's blood sample?" Jack asks Ianto as he goes through the teams blood work. He also notes that Jestine's isn't there, whoever she was; she mustn't have been part of the team. Was she also part of Adam's sick mind games?

Ianto walks over to the workstation pulling up Adam's personnel information, glancing through it. 

"Everything's in order here." Ianto tells Jack.

"When was it last updated?"

Ianto checks. "Twenty-four hours ago."

Jack looks at him with worry; this just more proof something was up. But anything he was about to say was interrupted by the lights switching on.

Him and Ianto quickly move to act like nothing had happened.

They stare as they witness Owen stumble in with a big bouquet of flowers. Owen puts the flowers on Tosh's desk before scurrying to the autopsy bay.

Ianto and Jack look at each other as they hear Tosh's giggles along with Adam's voice. Both filled with disbelief as they hear Owen apologising to Tosh and asking if she was happy with Adam. Neither men join when Adam calls for a group hug.

"Hey Ianto, come here." Adam calls as Ianto tries to move past the group without being noticed. Ianto turns and looks at Adam

"You all right, mate?" Adam asks, the concern not shown in his eyes as he reaches for Ianto who is just out of his reach.

He sneers. "Listen, I could murder a coffee." He tells Ianto before heading for the workstation. Ianto takes a breath and looks away as Adam sits back in his chair.

Jack is just behind him, pointing his gun at Adam's head as he cocks it. Everyone turns to watch, stunned at their Captains behaviour.

"Talk to me, Adam. If that's even your name." Jack glares at the man who has changed his team, hurt his Ianto.

Jack forces Adam to the vaults as his team tries to talk sense to him.

"He didn't exist until two days ago." Jack tells them.

"Jack, we've known him for years. He is part of the team." Owen tries to reason with Jack.

"No. He just made you think that." Jack replies, his voice cold as ice.

"Come on Jack." Adam tries to reach for Jack.

"Ah-ah-ah! You don't get to me like that." Jack moves out of reach.

"Jack, you know me. You recruited me three years ago." Adam tries to convince him.

"All I know is that when I think of my team, I see you there, but I don't feel anything for you. No pride, no warmth ... You, the one who I can confide in, the one who unburied the dead." Jack glares at Adam.

"Jack, maybe you've just forgotten him. Like I did with Rhys, yeah?" Gwen suggests.

"Oh I should have spotted it then. That wasn't stress. That was him. By making us think we know him, he disturbs our real memories."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm taking him to the vaults!" Jack tells them as he grabs Adam by the shirt front and yanks him out of his chair.

"Jack, this is ridiculous." Adam struggles as Jack pushes him in front of him and leads him down the stairs towards the vaults.

"Move!" Jack orders just before a gun cocks.

"No!" Tosh yells as she points her gun at Jack. Owen and Gwen exchange worried looks as they take a step towards Tosh.

"Tosh!" They yell in unison.

"That's not gonna help." Owen tries and sooths Tosh as she swung her gun to face Ianto.

"It's fine." Gwen joins in.

"Toshiko?" Jack asks, concerned at Tosh's gun being pointed at Ianto. He was fighting every urge to run towards Tosh and knock the gun away from Ianto. He just couldn't understand why he has such a strong urge to protect Ianto above everyone else in the team.

"I'm just going to lock him up." Jack speaks quietly

"Let him go." Tosh demands as Ianto sneaks up behind her.

"I'm not going to harm him." Jack tries to reassure Tosh.

"Why should I believe you?" Tosh glares at Jack.

"Tosh, Tosh, we can talk about this." Owen tries to calm Tosh, it was breaking his heart to see the women he loved so distraught

"Drop the gun, Jack!" Tosh demands as she swings back from looking at Owen.

"Shit!" Gwen curses as Ianto wrestles the gun from Tosh's grip, holding her firmly as she fights him.

"Don't! Get off me! Adam!" Tosh screams as she tries to break free. 

"This is what you've done to us. Move" Jack pushes Adam roughly.

"Get off! Adam!" Tosh screams as she tries to fight off Owen and Ianto as she watches her boss march her boyfriend off to the cells like some sort of criminal.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Don't kill me. I had to become part of your memories in order to survive. I didn't mean any harm." Adam slams his hands against the glass of the cell that Jack has imprisoned him in.

"You've changed us." Jack glares at Adam.

"For the better. You didn't remember who you were. I helped you. Look at Owen, all his cynicism gone. He's a different man now. Selfless, happier. And Toshiko, too - she's never been this confident." Adam tries to justify his existence.

"The girl in the basement. Did you do that; is it because of your manipulation of her mind that she is like that?" Jack demands of Adam, if that girl was apart of his team and Adam had hurt her.

"You know it wasn't me. You did something to her. Made it so I couldn't get into her mind and feed on all those unique memories. I can smell them, taste them, yet you won't let me have them." Adam once again hits the glass.

Jack looks at Adam, not sure whether to believe him or not. Why would he do anything to harm a girl, so young, barely older than Rose when he first met her?

"How did you come here? Why us?" Jack demands of his prisoner.

"All of you have such unique memories, especially you and that girl Jack. So many extraordinary memories you hold, some hidden, some absent. Your mind, her mind. That's what drew me here." Adam looks at Jack as if he was eyeing up a large juicy steak.

"Good job. It's what we do best ... wipe out aliens." Jack smirks.

"You can't shoot me." Adam yells as Jack turns and walks away. "You made me live. And you always remember what you killed ..."

"Don't you, Jack?" Adam sneers as Jack hesitates for a second before leaving.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Our memories define us. Adam changed those memories ... changed who we are. Now I have to help you all go back, find a memory that defines you. Rediscover who you are. If I'm wrong, he'll still be here when we've done this." Jack tells his team as he stands at the head of the conference table, the monitor behind him showing the CCTV of Adam in his cell.

"Let me take you back to before we all met ..." Jack tells them as he replaces the image with a swirly pattern video and dims the room.

"Feel around for anything that makes you what you are ... the hidden and the forgotten. Tell me where you are." Jack speaks softly.

"Each team lets their minds drift to those moments.

"_The college canteen ... Rhys is sitting opposite me, telling stupid jokes." _Gwen thinks. 

"_Where do you find a tortoise with no legs? Where you left it_." Gwen laughs along with the memory.

"I_t's my birthday. I'm ten. Mum spends the whole day screaming_" "I love you because you're my son" Owen speaks out loud, remembering the mother who never cared. "_but that doesn't mean I have to like you."_

"_Maths club_." "Something so reliable about maths" "_Always the right answer."_ Tosh remembers.

Ianto smiles as he remembers. "_Meeting Lisa_." "Falling in love" "_never felt so  
alive_."

"_I turn 16. She packs my bags_." "That is the nicest thing you've done for me in years, Mother." Owen remembers.

"_Kissing him in the supermarket_." "The look on his face." Gwen smiles.

"_My first flat_." "I don't have a flat-warming." "_There's no one I want to invite._" Tosh remembers sadly.

"_Losing Lisa_." "Like the world had ended." Jack looks at Ianto sadly.

"_The way he looks at me sometimes ... as if he's scared of what he feels for me, I_" – "I love him."

"But not in the way I love you." Gwen tells Jack as he turns to look at her.

Jack looks at her sadly. He really had hoped that during the time he had been away Gwen would have gotten over her feelings for him.

"Take this." Jack holds out his hand, giving Gwen a small white pill. Retcon. Wipe away all memories of Adam; restore what he had taken from them, changed."

Jack moves away, hoping that once Adam was gone that maybe Gwen would remember Rhys enough that she would be able to let go of her crush on him and they could both be happy with their respective partners.

"_Knowing there has to be more to life than this_." Tosh's face is now wet with tears.

"_Knowing I'm special ..."_ "... waiting for someone to see it." Jack places a hand on Tosh's shoulder, smiling down at her as she looks up.

"I saw it." Jack tells her, his voice huskily with emotion.

Tosh looks at the pill he has placed in front of her, not sure if she really can do this.

"_You save one life, a hundred lives but it's – it's never enough."_ "Who'll save me?" "I will." Jack replies to Owen, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly before moving on.

"_Coming here ..._" "... gave me meaning again." Ianto looks at Jack. "You."

"I love you." Jack whispers into Ianto's ear before putting the Retcon in front of him.

"You each have a short-tern amnesia pill. It'll make you forget Adam. We have to wipe out the last 48 hours from our memories, go back to who we were." Jack tells them once he is once again at the front of the room.

Each team member looks at the pill, their faces each showing different emotions.

As each member takes the pill Adam seems to blur and fade a little more.

Looking at the pill, Tosh grabs the remote to the TV.

"I'm going to lose so much." Tosh sobs as she looks at the screen that shows Adam once more.

"None of it was real." Jack tries to convince her,

"He loved me ... and I loved him. It's no different from real memory." She sobs.

"He forced it on you. You have to let it go. There is someone so much better just waiting for you to remember." Jack glances over at Owen.

Tosh takes one last look at the screen before taking the pill.

"Goodbye, Adam." She whispers.

Each team member slowly succumbs to the sedative in the Retcon.

Jack gently kisses Ianto once more on the forehead before walking out of the room, glancing back only once at his sleeping team.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Just me left." Jack taunts Adam as he watches the man/alien pace around the cell.

'Jack, I know what it's like not to exist. Please don't send me back there." Adam pleads as he pushes against the glass.

"I have to."

"What are you gonna do?"

Jack holds up a small pill. "This will wipe out the past two days."

"Well, you'll still keep the bad memories. Because they were always yours. But what about the good times, Jack? What about the last good memory of you and your dad?" Adam sneers.

"It's lost." Jack replies forcefully, just wanting to get this over and done with. He hated anything that could change his memory, ever since the Time Agency.

"I can help you find it. I can take you back there. Before I die." Adam offers.

"No." Jack glares and moves away before he can be tempted by the offer. Due to his long life, Jack had many years ago started to lose the detail of his childhood.

He missed his family, missed not being able to even remember their faces clearly. But he knew he could not let Adam worm his way into anymore memories.

"I don't want to die" Adam yells as he watches Jack move the pill towards his mouth.

"Goodbye, Adam." Jack smirks before biting down on the pill.

He watches as Adam doubles over, grunting in pain. Jack staggers, the sedative already starting to take effect.

He braces himself against the wall, watching Adam. Watching as his hand starts to blur and he flickers in and out of existence until he fades completely.

Jack sighs as he slides down the wall, allowing the sedative to take over.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack wakes with a start and looks around confused. He tries to remember why he would have fallen asleep slumped against one of the cell walls. He gasps as he realises he can't remember, that there seems to be time missing between now and the last thing he can remember. He jumps up to hurry to find his team, hoping that nothing had happened to them during the time he can't recall.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack walks into the main part of the Hub. Tosh, Owen and Gwen are at their workstations.

He glances around to try and find Ianto. He relaxes as he catches sight at the Welshman at the coffee machine, working his caffeine magic.

"Jack? How have we lost two days?" Gwen interrupts Jack's thoughts.

"What d'you mean?" Jack frowns at Gwen. He was aware he was missing sometime but he was hoping it was only a few minutes and only him but it seemed it was worse than that.

"The last 48 hours. None of us can remember a thing." Ianto tells him as he hands out coffee.

"The system's blank, the CCTV's been wiped. What's been going on? What've we been doing?" Tosh asks from her station.

"I don't know." Jack sighs as he tries to think why they would be all missing two days and the systems wiped.

"Great. That's two days of my life that I'll never get back!" Owen grumbles.

"Maybe it's something you don't want to remember." Jack chuckles as he motions to the flowers on Tosh's workstation.

Owen starts to look worried as he tried to think why he would give Tosh flowers.

Tosh looks at the flowers before grabbing the card, eager to solve one problem.

"To Tosh, love and apologies, Owen. They're from you!" Tosh looks at Owen, slightly amused at how worried he was.

"I'm really sorry for whatever it was that I did." Owen looks to Tosh, hoping that she might accept his somewhat pathetic apology.

Tosh smiles at Owen. "Seeing as you are alive and don't have any gun wounds, I'm assuming whatever you did wasn't too bad." Tosh leans in and gives Owen a peck on the lips before turning back to her monitors to search for any clues.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack grins as he looks at his desk. On the desk lies two things. A note from himself telling him not to worry and not to try and find out what happened during the missing time. The other item held more interest for Jack. There on his desk laid Ianto's diary. Jack had been after the book since he had found out about it the second day of Ianto's employment.

He settles down for a quick read, interested in seeing what his lover really thought about everything and everyone.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You alright Ianto?" Gwen asks as she watches the young man wonder around the Hub as if he was looking for something.

"Um, yeah, just looking for something." Ianto mutters back, focused on the task at hand. He could not let any of the others get their hands on his diary.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Did you, uh, call?" Ianto asks as he enters Jack's office. He loved spending time with Jack but right now he just wanted to get back to his search.

His eyes widen as he sees the book in Jack's hand.

"Found your diary." Jack smirks as he holds up the diary.

"Yep, been looking for that." Ianto mutters holding out his hand to grab it as he desperately tried to not blush.

He grabs it and turns to leave, hoping that Jack hadn't read any of it.

"And for the record ... measuring tapes never lie." Jack smirks.

"Oh, fuck." Ianto mouths silently to himself. Of course Jack was going to have read it.

"And I love you too." Jack smiles.

Ianto sighs, there is no way he can stay made at Jack after that.

"Hey!" Jack shouts as Ianto leaves the room.

Ianto pops back into the office, wondering what Jack was going to bring up now.

"Do you know if anyone has checked on Jestine yet?"

Ianto curses as he realises that no one had. Who knows what had happened to the girl during the two days they were missing.

"No, no one has, I'll do that now." Ianto takes his chance to get away from Jack, uncomfortable to be around his lover for the moment, knowing that he had read his diary.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"If only you were awake, maybe you could tell us what happened." Ianto tells Jestine as he looks at the monitors and makes notes in the chart Owen had made for her.

"Everything seems to be right, we just need you to wake up." Ianto talks more to himself than Jestine as he marks down the latest stats.

He is startled by a sudden moan.

He turns quickly and stares at the bed.

Jestine's eyes are open.

They stared back at him but lacking their normal sharp focus.

She looks like she was waking up from a long sleep.

Ianto rushes to her bedside as she moves to sit up.

He hears her murmur something but it is too quiet for him to hear.

"Hey Jestine, good to have you back with us." Ianto smiles as he helps her sit up.

"Jack get down here, Jestine just woke up." Ianto tells Jack through the coms, barely able to stop himself from yelling in excitement.

"Ianto?" Jestine asks as she looks at him, clearly this time.

"Right here. And the team will be here any second. They are all going to be so happy for you to be awake." Ianto smiles at the girl as he gently sweeps a lock of hair out of her face.

"Oh my god." Gwen exclaims as she rushes into the room with the rest of the team not far behind her.

"Hey." Jestine smiles weakly before Gwen launches herself at Jestine and pulls her into a hug.

It all happens so quickly, none of the team knows what happened.

One second Jestine was being hugged by Gwen and the next she was withering around and yelling in pain.

Gwen jumped back in fright, breaking contact with Jestine.

The result is immediate. The screaming stops and Jestine sits up once more, although this time panting heavily.

"You ok?" Owen asks as he moves to check her over.

"Stop." Jack throws out an arm, blocking Owen from touching the girl.

"Jack, I need to see what is wrong with her." Owen struggles to move around Jack's arm.

"Wait, we can't touch her wait. Give me a second." Jack rushes back up to the main part of the Hub, leaving his team confused.

"You, you ok?" Gwen stammers, worried that she may have hurt the girl more.

"Fine, fine now, just too much, too many possibilities." Jestine pants.

Before any of the team can asks anymore questions Jack sweeps back into the room, a metal bracelet in one hand and Teulu clutched to his chest with the other.

"Teulu, how did you get here?" Jestine asks in surprise as Jack places the creature in her lap while fastening the bracelet around her wrist.

"The Doctor was here. Dropped him off as well as this bracelet. Said it should help you while you are recovering." Jack explains to Jestine as he watches her greet her pet.

"Wait what? What happened?" Jestine looks around the room in confusion, having only just realised where she was.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Jack gently questions the girl.

"We were in the interrogation room. I was trying to read Beth. But I couldn't. She was blocking me. There was so much pressure. I could feel it building, it was hurting, more and more. But I was almost here, just a little bit more and I would have it. Just a little bit more. But then the pressure was too much, it hurt too much." Jestine tells them.

"And you have no idea about what happened next?" Jack asks her.

"No, not really." Jestine looks at them as if she was trying to work something out. "Just this sensation, I can't really explain it. It was almost as if my mind was being ripped apart." Jestine gives a slight shudder at this.

"Beth had a huge build up of electromagnetic energy. She forced it into your brain, causing your mind to fry." Jack explains, trying his hardest to not break down at remembering what has happened to the youngest member of his team.

"Shit, no, really, how long have I been down?" Jestine asks as she looks around the team.

"Only a few days, in all honestly we thought we might never get you back." Ianto comforts her.

"I'm so sorry." Jestine tells them.

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry about." Jack reassures her.

"I didn't mean to worry you. Did you find out what happened at Beth's apartment?" Jestine hopes she hasn't disrupt their investigation too much. It was bad enough she had already caused them so much unnecessary worry.

"It's ok, we know you didn't mean it. Beth was a sleeper agent. If it weren't for you we probably wouldn't have worked it out." Gwen tries to make Jestine feel better. She always seemed to think every mistake was her fault.

"Look how about we discuss this later, Owen needs to check you to make sure there isn't any long term damage." Jack decides to step in. There would be plenty of time for Jestine to catch up with what had happened later, for now he wanted reassurance that she was fine.

"Will she react to me how she did with Gwen if I touch her?" Owen asks Jack. He couldn't check Jestine properly without touching her but if it was just going to cause a repeat performance there was no way he could even touch her.

"No she should be fine. The bracelet is acting like a wall for her, stopping any thoughts and such from getting to her." Jack explains.

"Then you can all leave while I check on my patient." Owen shoos the team out.

**So Adam has been dealt with and Jestine is back awake, hope you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know what you think, will try and have the next one up as soon as possible, till next time, have fun**


	25. Chapter 25

**I am so sorry for how long this chapter has taken, things have just been so crazy for me the last few months with just one thing after another stopping me from being able to update, I promise I will try and update again as soon as possible. Pretty tame chapter, not much happening, but I promise the next chapter a lot will happen. I have changed some of the past chapters a little as I felt I did need to include the one sided Gwen/Jack in the lead up to Something Borrowed, I do promise though that Gwen will never ever get her hands on Jack. Thank you so so much for everyone who has been putting up with the huge gaps between updates, thank you so much for reading/reviewing/alerting/favouriting.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Torchwood or any of its characters, why won't RTD and BBC share their toys.**

"So you have no idea at all what happened during those two days?"

The team was sat around the boardroom eating lunch, Owen having done a quick check up on Jestine.

"No, and that's the way it's going to stay." Jack answers forcefully, knowing full well that each member of his team wanted to know what had happened but sometimes it was better to not know.

"If you are sure." Jestine says as she starts to swing back on her chair.

"Jestine, stop swinging on your chair before you fall and hit your head." Ianto chides her.

"We still don't know exactly what damage was done when your brain was fried, you don't want to add to it do you?" He warns her as she rolls her eyes.

"Owen I want you to do a full battery of test on Jestine after lunch." Jack tells him between mouthfuls.

Jestine scoffs. "No need, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You are extremely lucky that you are even awake. I want to know if there is any damage. You will not be allowed on any field work until you do." Jack orders her.

Jestine mutters darkly under her breath but doesn't protest any more, returning to sharing her meal with Teulu.

The team continue eating in silence.

"Oh, I totally forgot to ask. How was your date, well before it was interrupted?" Jestine turns to Jack and Ianto.

"Um, yeah good." Ianto answers as he ducks his head in embarrassment, he could feel his cheeks burning up.

Jack grins at the memory and at how cute Ianto looks when he blushes.

Jestine smirks at the response; it tells her everything she needs to know.

For a moment Ianto swears he can see an evil glint in her eye.

"So what did you have to eat?" Jestine asks innocently.

"Besides each other." She adds to the end with a smirk.

Ianto had been unfortunate enough to have been taking a drink as Jestine had asked the question.

He chokes on the water in shock, launching into a coughing fit.

"For fuck's sake, are you trying to put us off our food or something?" Owen glares as Jack rubs Ianto's back to try and sooth the coughs.

"I think she's trying to kill me." Ianto manages to gasp once he had recovered. 

"Is it my fault you took a drink when I asked?" Jestine smirks at Ianto.

"Can we put her back under?" Ianto moans to Jack.

"Oh come on, you can't tell me you would rather have me unconscious? You wound me Ianto." Jestine asks, her voice filled with mock hurt.

"You sure about that?" Ianto quirks an eyebrow.

Jestine pokes out her tongue.

"Anyway, you have to admit, life would be so boring without me." Jestine tells them seriously.

Owen sniggers, Tosh and Gwen giggle while Jack chuckles and Ianto just shakes his head while grinning.

"We chase aliens for a living, I doubt life could ever be boring, whether we knew you or not." Ianto replies.

"But I make it more interesting." Jestine retorts.

"More like disturbing." Owen mutters.

Jestine mocks glares at Owen.

"Ok team. Finish up then time to work." Jack interrupts before it gets out of control.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"I still say you didn't do them right." Jestine glares at Owen as they enter the boardroom, the rest of the team already gathered to found out the results from Jestine's test.

"Of course I did them right." Owen glares back. "Or would you rather I did them all again, including the blood test."

"There was no need for the blood test, you Cheanx" Jestine mutters darkly at the medic as they take their seats.

"Hey, none of that kind of language." Jack reprimands Jestine.

"Shit, you understand Bellcon?" Jestine looks at Jack in surprise.

"Yes, and even if I didn't you shouldn't call anyone that."

"Wait, what did she call me?" Owen frowns at the girl, sick of her using languages he didn't understand. As if it hadn't been bad enough before with Gwen and  
Ianto speaking Welsh, at least that was from Earth and this century, who knew when and where Jestine had picked up whatever language she used.

"It doesn't matter, she won't be using it again." Jack looks sternly at Jestine.

"Fine whatever." Jestine rolls her eyes.

"So what did you find?" Jack turns his attention to Owen.

Owen indicates to the charts he has projected up on the wall.

"As you can see there are significant differences in the results to last time." Owen explains.

"As you can see from this graph, she has a decrease in brain activity."

"All the results seem to indicate that while she is fine, her neurons are firing at a slower speed than is normal for her. Although they are still faster than what is normal."

"See I'm well enough to be on field work then." Jestine interrupts.

Jack looks at the girl before turning to Owen.

"What do you recommend?"

Owen squirms a little. "Look if any of the others were getting these results I would clear them. But with Jestine I think she could do with time away from the field to recover."

"What, that's not fair. My results are still above average for this century, I would still be able to work on the field." Jestine protest.

"No. You are not going out on the field." Jack orders. "While I have no doubt that your results are still good compared to this century, they are well below your level. This means you are still recovering. I will not have any member of my team on the field if they are still recovering from an injury."

"What, so I'm meant to just hang around here doing paperwork and other shit?" Jestine huffs.

Jack lets out a sigh. He understood where Jestine was coming from, just like him, she clearly couldn't stand having to sit back and let others take control but it was for the best.

"By that you mean you will not being doing any field work, then yes. There are plenty of things that you can do around here, not just paperwork." Jack tries to calm the girl.

"I might as well still be unconscious, be more interesting." Jestine mutters darkly while stroking Teulu.

"Tomorrow is the 20th." Ianto reminds Jack.

"Oh, I nearly forgot." Tosh replies as the same time Owen says "Already?"

"What's so special about the 20th?" Gwen looks at her teammates in confusion.

"What, oh, no, I am not babysitting your frozen solider, surely there is something more interesting for me to do?" Jestine whines.

"You know about Tommy?" Jack asks in surprise as Ianto rolls his eyes and says "Of course you know about Tommy, don't you?"

"Who's Tommy?" Gwen looks around the team for answers seeing as everyone seemed to know what was going on besides her.

"Thomas Reginald Brockless." Jack answers.

"Tommy." Ianto adds.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Jack asks Ianto.

"She doesn't want to do paperwork and he could do with spending time with someone new, I'm sure he is sick of waking up to the same faces all the time." Ianto reasons with Jack.

Jack considers this for a few moments.

"Right. Jestine you can spend today filling out your employment paperwork and tomorrow showing Tommy around." Jack orders.

"Do I have to do paperwork?" Jestine moans.

"It really should have been done when you started." Jack replies frustrated.

"To be fair we were quite busy when Jestine first started." Ianto points out.

"And we did do the basic ones, although they are obviously are all wrong." Gwen adds.

"I know, I personally filled in the electronic ones. But if we look on the database they are gone." Tosh turns to Jestine.

"Yeah, ok, fine. I got rid of all the ones that you lot did. It was pointless anyway, so much of that information is wrong." Jestine shrugs.

"Well now you have a chance to do them right." Jack tells her.

"One, no I can't and second I don't want to." Jestine replies.

Jack rubs at his face in frustration. "I don't care whether you want to or not, you need to fill the forms out. I don't expect you to fill out everything but fill out what you can." He tells her.

Jestine huffs in reply, aware that she didn't have much choice.

"Then Tosh can do your Torchwood id."

"Don't need it." Jestine smirks.

Jack groans, not sure if he really wanted to know why Jestine didn't need Torchwood id.

"Why don't you need Torchwood id?" Jack asks wearily.

"Because of this." Jestine holds up a blank piece of paper in a leather case.

"Need I remind you, you are in no condition to use that at the moment?"

"Whatever, not like I'm going to need it, what with you not letting me do anything good." Jestine sulks.

"What is it?" Owen asks, staring at the paper, having no idea what Jestine and Jack were going on about.

"It's psychic paper. It shows the person what you want them to see, such as id." Jack explains. "It doesn't work on most psychic races or people with psychic training but if you are strong enough you can overcome the other person's barriers."

"What, so there are things out there that allow people to show other people what ever they want on paper?" Gwen asks, sounding concern at the prospect.

"Not that many people, they aren't easy to come by. And also you need some training otherwise it can show all kinds of things you don't want the other person to know." Jestine tries to reassure Gwen.

"I don't care that you have psychic paper, you are not using it. You will have Torchwood id just like the rest of us." Jack orders, really getting sick of Jestine fighting him on everything.

"I really don't see why." Jestine sulks.

"Because I said so." Jack internally cringes at how childish the statement sounded.

"Ianto, if you get time later on, can you bring one of the spare desks up from storage, its about time Jestine got a proper workstation." Jack asks Ianto.

"You do realise giving me a desk is pointless." Jestine points out.

"It might give you incentive to sit still for more than five minutes." Ianto suggest.

"Nothing wrong with being on the go." Jestine argues back.

Jack claps his hands together to regain the attention of his team.

"Right, back to work, you all have your task, Jestine I want you to do that paperwork. None of us like filling it out but it has to be done." And with that Jack dismisses the team.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack grins as Ianto enters his office, the smell of his delicious coffee having been wafting through out the Hub for the last few minutes.

"My saviour." Jack grins as Ianto hands him his blue and white stripped mug. "This paperwork is killing me."

Ianto rolls his eyes; Jack was always over dramatic when it came to paperwork.

"It's not that bad. And you did order Jestine to do hers so you have to lead by example."

"Maybe if I had some company." Jack suggest as he strokes Ianto's arm.

"Jack, you know if I stay here, neither of us will get any work done at all." Ianto tries to resist.

"Who needs work when they have you?" Jack asks as he moves around to the other side of the desk so that he was now standing next to Ianto.

"Jack, you need to get your work done now, but tonight." Ianto smirks, his eyes filled with promise.

"Can't the paperwork wait?" Jack pouts as he moves so Ianto is up against the desk with him in front.

Before Ianto can reply they are interrupted by a loud cough.

They both turn to see Gwen at the door.

"What can I do for you Gwen?" Jack asks as he regretfully moves out of Ianto's personal space and back to his seat.

"Sorry, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Gwen asks, while not looking sorry at all.

"No, its fine, I was just dropping off Jack's coffee and seeing how he was going with his paperwork." Ianto smiles politely.

"So who is Tommy?" Gwen ignores Ianto, turning her full attention to Jack.

"Told you, Thomas Reginald Brockless."

"But he prefers Tommy." Ianto adds.

Gwen rolls her eyes. "I mean, what does he have to do with us?" Gwen asks as she sits on the edge of Jack's desk, making sure he had full view of her ample cleavage.

Jack and Ianto share a look.

"It's a little complicated how about you take an early day and spend sometime with Rhys and we can tell you tomorrow?" Jack suggests.

"Rhys is working so if I went home I would be all by myself." Gwen tells Jack as she flutters her eyes at him.

"Go out, spend sometime with friends or just enjoy sometime to yourself then." Jack suggest, eager to get Gwen out of his office so he could get back to Ianto.

"You sure you don't want me to hang around, in case something important comes up that you need me for?" Gwen leans over more to the point where she is almost falling out of her top.

"We will be fine without you till tomorrow and if anything too bad comes up we can call you." Jack reassures her, hoping she would leave soon.

"Before I go then, do you mind if I have a talk to you Jack. Privately." Gwen throws a look at Ianto.

Ianto rolls his eyes behind Gwen's back before turning to leave.

"I'll be in the archives if you need me _sir_." Ianto raises his eyebrows suggestively.

Jack grins as he watches Ianto walking away, loving the view and eager to get down to the archives.

Gwen smiles as she watches Ianto walk away. Now she could have some time with her Captain.

"What can I do for you?" Jack asks Gwen as he sips his coffee.

"I just wanted to see how you were going, you know with everything that has been going on I'm sure the others have been too caught up with themselves to even ask how you were." Gwen looks at Jack with what she considers to be a sympathetic but sexy look.

"I'm fine." Jack tells Gwen, wondering what it was that she actually wanted.

"Are you sure. Considering everything the others put you through no one would blame you if you were even a little bit angry at them." Gwen stares deep into Jack's eyes.

Jack blinks, uncomfortable at Gwen staring at him like he was a piece of meat or something.

"I forgave them all a long time Gwen. And if you remember you also had a part in it."

"Oh I know, I would never deny that, but you clearly forgave me because you took me with you when you fought Abaddon. You understood why I did it." Gwen strokes Jack's arm.

Jack looks at Gwen sadly for a moment as he moves away from her touch. "Is that really the reason you think I took you with me?"

"Well that and that you trusted me when you couldn't trust any of them." Gwen replies so sure of herself.

Jack sighs, he really had no idea what was going on in Gwen's mind to have come up with those reasons.

"I took you to show you the consequences of your actions. Telling the others would have been enough to convince them that they did the wrong thing. You needed to see first hand that your actions cost so many others so much."

"But I had to do it, there was no other way to save Rhys." Gwen tells Jack angrily, why was he focusing on her mistake, hers was for love, unlike the others.

"Gwen can you just drop it. I forgave everyone for what they did that day." Jack sighs, he really hated it when Gwen harped on about things.

"That is very big of you." Gwen smiles at Jack while moving closer to him.

"Was there anything else you wanted?" Jack asks, wanting nothing more than for this tedious conservation to be over.

"Well now that you mention it." Gwen looks at Jack for a moment before sighing.

"Yes Gwen?" Jack asks, getting impatient at Gwen.

"I know it's none of my business but you and Ianto." Gwen answers as if it was a struggle for her to even say.

"What about me and Ianto?" Jack asks, unsure of where Gwen was heading.

"I'm just concern that's all." Gwen replies all the while fluttering her eyes at Jack.

"What are you concern about?" Jack asks slightly annoyed, this was all taken way too long for his liking when he had a gorgeous Welshman waiting for him in the archives.

"Well, its just that don't you think you are moving a bit fast?" Gwen gives Jack her doe eye look.

"Not that I think its any of your business but what do you mean moving a bit fast?" Jack tries to keep his tone even.

"You've only just come back from being away for months after he betrayed you. It's a bit soon for you to be talking about love isn't it?" Gwen looks at Jack adoringly.

"I've already told you, I forgave you all for that a long time ago." Jack tells her through gritted teeth.

Gwen internally roles her eyes. Can't Jack see that she is just trying to help him see what a mistake he was making?

"It's not just that. You two barely know each other. You didn't even tell him you can't die until he saw it first hand. I was the only one you told, that you could share with, remember." Gwen moves even closer to Jack.

"We know enough." Jack tries to not glare at Gwen, he was sure that she was just looking out for both him and Ianto as a friend but it didn't stop her getting on his nerves.

"Are you sure though. Are you sure that Ianto really does love you?" Gwen looks at Jack sadly like he couldn't see something that was so obvious.

Jack struggles to hold back his anger. "Yes I am sure, he wouldn't have told me otherwise."

"I'm sorry Jack is this is upsetting you but I'm just trying to help. I just don't know how you can be so sure given everything we do know about Ianto."

"What do you mean by that?" Jack asks Gwen, unable to keep his anger out of his voice.

Gwen flinches for a second, not used to hearing such anger coming from Jack, especially to be directed at her.

"Well you think about it. He claimed to love Lisa while he was leading you on. And then as soon as she was gone he moved onto you. How can you be so sure that he won't do that to you, or that he hasn't already?"

Jack almost rips Gwen's head off before he processes the last thing she said.

"What do you mean, hasn't already?" Jack asks, his voice icy cold.

Gwen looks away, hiding her small grin. She turns back, her face filled with sadness and regret.

"Look, I'm sure its nothing, look just forget that I said anything." She plasters on a fake smile and moves to walk out of Jack's office.

"Gwen stop!" Jack bolts from his seat to stop Gwen leaving.

"Yes Jack?" Gwen turns back to face Jack.

"What did you mean by that?" Jack asks. It wasn't that he really thought that Ianto might be with someone else. He only wanted to know what Gwen was talking about so he could set her straight. At least that was what he kept telling himself.

"If you are sure Jack." Gwen turns back and sits on the couch in the office.

Jack leans against his desk, much to Gwen's disappointment.

"So spill." Jack orders Gwen.

"I don't know anything for sure but I wouldn't mention it to you if I wasn't sure." Gwen gives Jack her puppy dog eyes.

"What is it Gwen?" Jack wishes Gwen would hurry up and just spit it out.

"I think there is something going on between Ianto and Jestine." Gwen finally reveals.

Jack can't help but burst out laughing at this statement.

Gwen glares at Jack.

"You aren't serious are you?" Jack asks as he finishes laughing and notices Gwen's face.

"Of course I'm serious." Gwen continues to glare at Jack. This was not how it was meant to go.

"Oh, ok." Jack straightens up and tries to hold a serious face.

"So what makes you think that there is something going on with Jestine and  
Ianto?" Jack asks Gwen, struggling so hard to not laugh again.

"Well just think about it, I know it sounds silly to begin with but there are a lot of signs that there is something going on." Gwen tells Jack.

"Really, such as?" Jack asks, feeling a lot more relaxed now that he knew how wrong Gwen was.

"Why else would Ianto have her living with him for almost two months?" Gwen looks at Jack in the hope that he would realise what she was saying was true.

"She didn't have anywhere else to go; it's just something Ianto would do." Jack tells Gwen, hoping that would be enough for her so she would go away and he could get away to the archives and Ianto.

"You sure that's all Jack. I mean sure Ianto might just let a stranger stay with him for a few days but months, really?" "We all know how private Ianto is, so for him to have someone living in such close proximity would be too much for him. And when it looked like she was going to be around for a while why didn't he set her up somewhere else?" Gwen raises an eyebrow in what she thought was a questioning manner.

Jack shakes his head, trying to focus on Gwen's question, instead of thinking about Ianto and his superior eyebrow raise.

"Look I don't know why Ianto offered to have Jestine live with him for so long but I can assure you nothing is going on between them." Jack replies.

"That's not all though." Gwen argues with Jack, why wouldn't he just listen to her, he clearly deserved better than Ianto.

Jack gives Gwen a look of doubt which she misunderstands as a look to continue.

"You heard Jestine, how she talks about her sexual encounters, there is no way she hasn't made a move on Ianto while you were away." Gwen points out, feeling triumphant, no way could Jack disagree with her on that.

"Look even if Jestine showed interest in Ianto, he obviously wasn't interested in her." Jack tells Gwen, getting annoyed at the time wasting.

"What makes you so sure though?" Gwen could not believe that Jack was still defending Ianto.

"If he had he would not have agreed to go on a date with me or told me that he loved me." Jack replies through gritted teeth.

"But can you really be sure. You didn't see him when you left, he gave up hope so quickly, he didn't believe in you enough to know you were coming back. Not like me, I always knew you were coming back for me." Gwen once again flutters her eyelids at Jack.

"I'm sure because I trust Ianto and know if he had moved on he would have told me. And I really can't blame Ianto for not believing I was coming back. I never gave him a reason to believe otherwise." Jack ends on a bitter note, hating how he had treated Ianto in the past.

"Jack you can't beat yourself up because of the past, if anyone was to blame it would be Ianto. He hid his girlfriend behind your back, can't you see he is doing the same thing again. Him and Jestine spend all their time together and are always flirting, didn't you see them at lunch." Gwen pleads with Jack, getting desperate, why wouldn't he just listen to her.

"I have told you, I trust Ianto. And that was just two friends mucking around, certainly not flirting." Jack angrily tells Gwen, sick of the accusations she was making.

"I wish I could trust as much as you do." Gwen replies with a deep sigh, she knew Jack liked to see the best in everyone but this was just ridiculous.

"I think that is something you need to discuss with Rhys then, now I need to see Ianto about some files, enjoy your afternoon off." Jack tells Gwen as he practically runs out of his office.

Gwen sighs at Jack's retreating back. He obviously was too trusting of Ianto and she knew he was too honourable to be with her while still pretending to love Ianto. She just hoped that Jack would give up the charade soon; all it was doing was stopping them from being together like they were meant to be.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What did Gwen want?" Ianto asks without looking up from his desk, knowing Jack was the only one who would have ventured down to the archives.

"She seems to think you and Jestine are having an affair." Jack sighs as he sits down on the desk.

"Really?" Ianto asks in complete shock.

"Yeah, it was a little weird. But I told her there was no way anything was going on so hopefully she will drop it." Jack smiles as he bends down to kiss the back of Ianto's neck.

"This is Gwen we are talking about right? Who never lets anything go?" Ianto replies as Jack nuzzles his neck.

"You really want to talk about Gwen now?" Jack asks right before he nips at Ianto's ear.

"No." Ianto moans.

"Good, the only person you will be thinking of for the next half hour should be me and only me." Jack growls into Ianto's ear.

**Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you thought and I promise I will try my best to update again soon, Happy Easter**


	26. Chapter 26

**So I'm really really sorry for how long its been, life has just been so all over the place so I haven't had much time to write. Also from the start I knew I wanted To The Last Man to be different from cannon but I just didn't realise how much work that would involve, although it has been great fun to mess around with everything. This is a shorter chapter than most I have done as I realise I tend to go over board with chapters, although the good news is that I am already on to the next chapter so hopefully shouldn't be too much longer for the next update, then I should be done with To The Last Man and onto Meat. Thank you so so much for everyone who has put up with my erratic posting and has read/reviewed/alerted/favourited this story, it really does mean a lot to me and had it not been for you I seriously would have given up on this story by now**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Torchwood, although I do now own an adorable 6 month year old kitten, which is almost as good**

Gwen could feel it as she walked into the Hub the next day. The air was electric with suspense.

"Hi." She greets Tosh brightly as she walks to her station.

Tosh smiles in response and returns back to her typing.

"So what's with this Tommy guy?" Gwen asks, it had been annoying her all night not knowing what was going on, especially as everyone else knew, even Jestine.

Tosh glances as Gwen, not sure how much she would be able to understand. "We are waking him up in half an hour so if you wait you can ask him yourself."

Gwen just pounces off once she realises she wasn't going to get any answers from Tosh.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"It's time." Jack calls out to the team from his office.

Gwen flounces in to his office, annoyed that she hadn't managed to get any information from the others in the time since she had gotten in.

"So you going to tell me anything?" Gwen practically whines.

"Tommy." Jack grins.

Gwen glares.

"Twenty-four years-old." Jack continues.

"Sort of." Ianto interrupts.

Gwen glares again, this was getting her no where. "Well, he's either 24 or he's not."

"Depends how you work it out." Ianto replies.

"All right, when was he born?" Gwen tries to get a clear answer. 

"1894." Jack tells her as he and Ianto leave.

Gwen glares again at their retreating backs. It was hopeless getting a straight answer from either of them.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Owen, you ready?" Jack calls out as he enters the main part of The Hub.

"Yeah, nearly." He calls out while smiling at Tosh.

"Nice dress." Jestine tells Tosh as she walks by.

Tosh blushes as she smiles.

"Got it from someone special then?" Jestine smirks.

"Stop teasing her." Owen tells Jestine, even though he thought that Tosh looked gorgeous when she blushed, although she looked gorgeous all time.

"Good choice Owen." Jestine smirks before making her way to the morgue.

"Well, where is he?" Gwen asks them as she leaves Jack's office.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"He's been here for ninety years, longer than any of us. Any of you." Jack corrects himself as he opens one of the morgue cabinets and pulls out the cryogenic chamber.

"Torchwood have used alien cryogenics since Victorian times. They froze Tommy in 1918." Tosh explains as the gather around Tommy.

"So he's 24 or 114 years old. I know which one I'd choose." Jack grins at Gwen.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"We have to wake him up every twelve months or so. Well, defrost him. One day only, then back in the freezer." Owen explains as he works around Tommy who is now on the table but still unconscious. Jestine stands next to the bed, looking down at Tommy like one would look at a science demonstration.

"Why?" Gwen asks as she leans against the wall with Tosh beside her.

"Check he still works." Ianto answers from above where him and Jack are standing, watching.

"One day, we're gonna need him." Jack adds.

"Right, everybody ready?" Owen asks as he sets the hypodermic needle against Tommy's neck, ignoring Jestine's shudder. 

They all wait around, waiting for Tommy's pulse. 

"Come on, Tommy." Owen mutters as the heart monitor continues to flatline.

Owen runs and grabs the defibrillator paddles, hoping it was too late. 

"Charging 200, clear!" Owen calls out before zapping Tommy to no effect.

"Charging 360. Clear!" Owen zaps again. This time Tommy gasps and opens his eyes suddenly. He starts struggling against Owen with Ianto stepping forward to help subdue him.

"Gwen, quick." Owen calls out for Gwen to grab the paddles. "It's all right!" He tries to calm Tommy.

"Get off me, leave me alone." Tommy struggles against both Ianto and Owen.

"Tommy!" Owen tries to calm him.

Tommy suddenly lashes out at Owen, punching him in the face and causing him to fall backwards.

"Stop struggling Tommy Brockless." Jestine demands strongly as she holds him down. "As much fun as it is to see Owen being punched, I don't think Tosh likes you punching her boyfriend."

Tommy stops struggling and looks around the room.

"Remember now?" Jestine asks as she relaxes her grip on Tommy.

"Gets harder every year." Tommy mutters.

"Good left hook, though." Ianto smirks.

"Do you know where you are?" Jestine asks him as she moves to support him as he sits up.

"Torchwood." Tommy answers.

"That's right." Jestine smiles at him.

"Is it time again?" Tommy asks. Jestine nods. "Blimey."

"How are you feeling?" Owen asks.

"I could murder a cup of tea." Tommy replies after coughing.

Owen smiles and pats him on the shoulders. Tommy smiles as he looks around the room at the familiar faces and unfamiliar faces.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Tommy looks around at the team as they settle in the board room.

"Here, tuck in. There's enough to feed an army." Tommy offers to the team as they watch him grab some food.

"We should do this every morning. Breakfast, I mean." Jack grins.

"Hmm. Nice dress." Tommy looks over to Tosh.

"Thank you. Owen got it for me." Tosh replies while blushing.

"Owen got it for you?" Tommy asks, surprised. He knew Tosh had had a crush on Owen since she had started but he didn't think it was reciprocated.

"Yeah, they finally got their act together.' Jestine remarks as she feeds Teulu some toast.

Tommy looks at the girl. He wasn't sure how to deal with her. She seemed a lot more forward to girls of his own time and even most of those that he had met since being taken by Torchwood.

"Oh, forgot. Introductions are needed aren't they?" Jack suddenly realises that Tommy would not have met either Gwen or Jestine before.

"This is Gwen Copper. Investigator, police liaison and general field agent. She replaced Suzie." Jack pauses for a second to remember their fallen team mate.

"What happened to Suzie?" Tommy asks, remembering the women who had been present the last few times he had been woken up.

"She went nuts over a glove and kept killing people to try and bring them back." Jestine casually informs him.

The team looks at her with an array of emotions.

"What?" Jestine shrugs at them. "It's true."

"Don't beat around the bush or anything." Owen mutters sarcastically.

Jack clears his throat, hoping to move them past the mention of Suzie.

"And this is Jestine. She er..." Jack turns to Ianto for help, not sure what exactly it was that Jestine did.

"I just do whatever needs to be done. Well at least when I'm allowed to." Jestine glares at Owen.

"She's currently on restricted duties following an injury." Owen explains.

Tommy looks Jestine over, she didn't seem to have any visible injuries. 

"Got my brain fried and now they think I'm too slow to do anything good." Jestine explains.

Tommy just looks at her more confused.

"Don't worry, she does that a lot." Ianto tells Tommy.

"You should get use to it; you're stuck with me today." Jestine informs him.

Tommy isn't sure how to respond to the news so just turns back to his food. 

As the conversation lulls Gwen turns to Jack. "I still don't get it. Why is he here?"

"Like I said - one day, we're gonna need him." Jack replies.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Owen performs a physical on Tommy as Jestine watches.

"And pull to me. Good. Seems fine." Owen says as he runs through it all. "I just need to, uh, take a few ... blood samples." Owen informs them both. He hated that poor Tommy had to go through this every time.

"Blood samples." Tommy nods, used to the routine by now, at least Owen was nice, some of the doctors in the past were very cold about it.

Jestine tries to reassure him through a smile but can't stop the shudder as she sees the needle.

"We wake you up once a year and stick needles into you, it's not fair." Jestine rests her hand on Tommy's.

"Once a year for you lot, it's every day for me." Tommy tells her.

"Could not do it myself." Jestine admits. "So, while we wait." Jestine smiles as she looks at Tommy, making sure to avoid looking at Owen collecting the blood.

Tommy smiles back. "Tommy Reginald Brockless, born 1894 February the 7th in Blackley, Manchester. Private officer in 10th West Yorkshire regiment."

"Very good." Jestine smiles again as she checks that the details are right.

"Only son of Constance May Bassett, died 1900, and Thomas Campbell Brockless, died June 1931, aged 57. Heart attack. That's right, isn't it?" Tommy asks.

"Yeah sorry." Jestine gives him a sad smile.

"It's all right. I just haven't had that much time to get used to it." Tommy reassures her with his own sad smile.

"Right, all done. Why don't you go get some clothes on?" Owen interrupts them.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"How about this?" Jestine suggest as she holds up some pants and a t-shirt for Tommy.

"Isn't it a bit cold? I noticed Tosh was wearing slacks under her dress."

"It's the fashion this year."

Tommy nods and starts grinning. "1968, they were in miniskirts. Thought all my Christmases had come at once. Shame they haven't made a comeback."

"You should go to some of the clubs. They make the miniskirts look conservative." Jestine snorts. "Here try these then." Jestine holds out a sweater, shirt, pants and a jacket.

Tommy grabs the gear but looks around confused.

"You right?" Jestine asks as she watches Tommy just standing there.

"I just wasn't sure, are you going to leave or do you want me to go some where else to get change?"

"What?" Jestine looks at Tommy for a moment in confusion. "Oh, right, you don't want to get change in front of me do you?"

"Do you normally have strange men getting dressed in front of you?" Tommy asks her, surprised that she seemed to think it was unusual for him to not want to change in front of her.

"Well more often it's undressing, tend to leave before the dressing part but still." Jestine answers.

Tommy looks shocked at Jestine's response.

"And that's how everyone is these days. Just undress with anyone." Tommy knows the world has progressed but still, to be that casual was more than he thought.

"Well, yeah, kinda, some people are. Although society is still so stiff at the moment." Jestine tries to explain.

"What do you mean at the moment?" Tommy asks.

"Let's just say you aren't the only one who isn't from this time." Jestine answers. "I'll just be outside while you get changed then."

"Why do you do that?" Tommy asks her before she can escape.

"Do what?" Jestine looks at Tommy in confusion.

"Whenever you get asked a question you don't give a real answer. You just say something confusing and then move on." Tommy points out to her.

"It's just easier sometimes." Jestine admits. "Now I'm leaving so you can get dressed and we can get going."

And with that she leaves.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"St. Teilo's Hospital, 1918. There was a time-shift. A fracture in the rift means that two slices of time were erupting into each other." Jack tells Gwen about Tommy in his office.

"A slice of 1918, and ... ?" Gwen asks.

"A slice of the future. But we don't know exactly what slice. It could be tomorrow, it could be in a hundred years' time." Jack shrugs, he always hated that about Tommy's case. Hated that there was a good possibility that he would be the one to send Tommy back to his death.

"What will happen?"

"Chunks of 1918 will start to appear at the hospital. A few at first, then more and more. When the time-shift is complete, it'll start a chain reaction." Jack explains standing up. "Unless we stop it, time-shifts will start happening all over the country, then all over the world."

"But how does Tommy fit in?" Gwen asks as she looks at the profile and picture of Tommy and Jack opens one of the locked cabinets.

Jack takes out a canister before answering. "He helps to stop it somehow. Torchwood 1918 left us sealed orders."

"Eyes-only documents. FAO Torchwood, commander overseeing case 1918 TB." T ... Tommy Brockless?" Gwen reads the label on the canister out loud.

Jack nods as she tries to open it.

"Okay. It's stuck." Gwen gives up trying to open it.

"No, it's locked." Jack explains.

"Okay, where's the key?" Gwen asks, trying to keep down her annoyance at Jack playing with her.

"It's a temporal lock tied in with the rift frequencies at the hospital." Gwen rolls her eye and sits down at the desk, her annoyance winning out. She switches the slide on the old desktop light box to another slide. "When the rift nears completion, the box will open and we'll find out exactly what Tommy does. 

"But why would they keep us in the dark, Jack?" Gwen asks, frustrated at all the secrets Torchwood had, even from its employees.

"I guess we'll find that out, too." Jack shrugs.

The conservation is cut off with Jestine and Tommy walking in.

"Ta-dah!" Jestine smiles showing them Tommy dress in the clothes she had chosen for him.

"Seriously, what do you think?" Tommy asks, a little unsure of himself in the strange clothes.

"You look like a film star." Gwen replies, looking him up and down.

"Who? Charlie Chaplin?" Tommy grins, causing Gwen to giggle.

Jestine rolls her eyes. "Come on." And drags him out of the office.

Jack and Gwen follow. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack and Gwen watch as Tommy helps a surprised Jestine put on her coat.

"Jack? Have you got any more of those pretty boys in the freezer?" Gwen asks Jack as she eyes Tommy up.

Jack resists the urge to roll his eyes. As much as Gwen claimed to love Rhys, she always seemed to have her eyes on someone else.

"Hands off, missy. I think Jestine seems to have beaten you to him." Jack grins.

"So we're ready to head off." Jestine tells the team.

"No worries. Have fun. Be careful." Owen calls out.

"Where are you off?" Gwen asks, curious to know where one would take a frozen solider from 1918.

"Don't know yet. Around. Hopefully something exciting will come up" Jestine answers.

"Maybe you should just stick to a film or pizza. Not everyone can handle your level of excitement." Ianto suggest.

"Yeah, maybe. We'll see." Jestine replies.

"I'll have my phone so call me if the world looks like its going to end or anything like that." Jestine tells them.

"Have a lovely time." Gwen tells them as they leave, Jestine waving over her shoulder to acknowledge her.

"Looks like she's taken a liking to him." Jack tells Ianto.

"I did tell you it would be a good idea didn't I sir." Ianto answers back, causing Jack to growl at the sir.

"He's a frozen soldier from 1918." Gwen frowns at them.

Jack shrugs. "Nobody's perfect."

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So what do you want to do?" Jestine asks as they leave through the tourist information centre.

"I don't know where to start. I want to do everything." Tommy replies. "I only have one day."

"Well lets make it a day to remember." Jestine grins at him before grabbing his hand and leading him towards the garage.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Guess you were right about Jestine and Tommy." Jack tells Ianto as they sit in his office and look through some old slides.

"You doubted me?" Ianto pretends to be offended.

"Hey. What you up to?" Gwen comes bounding in before Jack can reply.

Jack shows her the slides of Gerald and Harriet.

"He's a bit of all right." Gwen points to Gerald.

"He's the boss." Ianto tells her.

"It's part of the criteria to be boss. Gotta be hot." Jack grins causing Ianto to roll his eyes and Gwen to giggle.

"She's all right, too. Harriet Derbyshire." Ianto changes the subject before Jack's head explodes from his ego.

"I wonder what happened to her." Gwen muses out loud.

"She died the year after that was taken. Twenty-six years old." Ianto answers Gwen.

"So young." Gwen looks down at the picture with sadness.

"They all were." Ianto tells her as he picks up another slide that has five people in it. "Nothing changes." 

Jack clears his throat. "Hey Gwen, how about you go check out the hospitable?" He suggest, hoping to be able to get Ianto on his own to find out what was causing the depressing thoughts in the young Welshman.

"Ok." Gwen smiles at Jack, thinking about how he trusted her with such an important job and not Ianto. "And bloody cheer up, will you?" Gwen tells Ianto as she is about to leave, no one wants to hear such a downer.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You aren't serious are you?" Tommy asks as he watches Jestine jump on board a motorcycle.

"Come on. It'll be fun." Jestine grins at Tommy while putting on a helmet. "You told me you wanted to do everything."

Tommy hesitates for a second before grabbing the helmet Jestine held out to him.

"Just remember Torchwood needs me so you can't kill me." Tommy reminds her as she starts the engine.

"Trust me. I am an awesome driver." Jestine grins before starting to drive out of the garage.

She laughs as Tommy clings onto her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Gwen walks through the hospital. She looks all around her, not sure what it was that Jack wanted her to see but knew it had to be important if he had sent her.

Gwen thinks that she hears something and turns back to look. As she does so something in the air seems to have changed and shifted a little but Gwen doesn't notice.

Gwen shakes off the feeling of someone watching her and continues on through the large empty ward.

Suddenly a man with an amputated lower right leg and crutches appears in front of her as the lights flicker. Gwen stops suddenly in shock.

"Hello." Gwen says.

The man just ignores her.

"I said hello." Gwen repeats, angry that the man didn't even acknowledge her.

He still doesn't answer her. Instead he starts walking towards her and shows no sign of stopping.

Gwen backs away, scared of this man who seemed content to walk right into her.

"You hear me? Look, can you hear me?" Gwen practically pleads as her back hits the wall with the man nearly upon her. "If you just, just –

Gwen raises her hands to protect herself from the guy, closing her eyes bracing for the impact. When it doesn't comes she opens her eyes and looks around. There is no sign of the man, anywhere.

Gwen stands there for a moment, trying to work out what had just happened before heading out of the room. She runs back though the corridor that she had entered from, looking for signs of the man.

Gwen comes to another room, one that appears to be under construction. Plastic sheeting is up on the windows and back doors with ladders resting around the place and plastic on the floor.

Once again Gwen thinks she hears something behind her but when she turns around there is nothing there. She continues through the room once she determines it was nothing.

"Hello?" She calls out as she moves towards the back door.

Predictably there is no answer. But she then notices the lights in the room flickering. She reaches and taps the lamp. She fiddles with the light switch but nothing seems to stop the flickering.

Then the lights go out. Gwen twirls around, looking to find whoever/whatever had turned off the lights.

A door slams shut behind her, startling her in her heightened state. 

She lets out a sigh of relief as she notices there are three construction workers now in the room with her.

"Are you all right, love? You look as if you've seen a ghost." The foreman asks her.

Gwen quickly nods before leaving sheepishly.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You can let go now." Jestine laughs as Tommy continues to cling even after she had stopped the motorcycle.

Tommy gratefully hopes off.

"So what did you think? It wasn't that bad was it?" Jestine grins at him.

"I don't think that man you almost ran over would say the same thing." Tommy replies as he hands Jestine back the helmet.

"Was not my fault. He got in my way." Jestine protest.

"Come on. Even I know there is a speed limit." Tommy manages a weak smile.

"No one died." Jestine shrugs. "Now how about we have some fun."

Tommy shakes his head as Jestine leads him to the carnival entrance.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine and Tommy are walking around the carnival. Jestine is holding a large stuff elephant won from one of the sideshows, although it's not clear who won it.

"How did you get involved with Torchwood?" Tommy asks as he sits down on a bench.

"Just kinda did." Jestine shrugs as she sits down, leaning slightly on him.

Tommy raises his eyebrows. From what he had seen in the years/days since he had been taken by Torchwood, there was normally a reason people become involved with Torchwood.

Jestine sighs. "Look its complicated but pretty much I was heading here my whole life. I just didn't know it. "I thought I could just watch and not get involved. Just see them for a little bit but things didn't really turn out that way as you can see."

"Ok." Tommy nods, not quite sure he understood.

"So what do you do when you aren't working? Terrorise people with your motorcycle?" Tommy changes the topic.

"I do not terrorise people with my motorcycle." Jestine laughs and punches Tommy playfully on the shoulder. Tommy fakes being hurt, causing Jestine to crack up more which sets him off.

"No but really, what do you do in your spare time. How does someone spend their leisure time in the 21st century?" Tommy asks as they calm down.

"In all honestly I don't really know. Don't really have the time." Jestine answers.

"You talk about your life like you've got no control over it." Tommy comments.

"Well, Torchwood is pretty much a 24/7 job. Don't get much free time. 24 hours, 7 days a week." Jestine explains as she catches sight of Tommy's confusion.

"But you weren't conscripted. I mean, it's your choice, right?" Tommy asks.

"Well, yeah. I suppose so." Jestine shrugs.

"What did you do before Torchwood then?" Tommy asks.

"This and that." Jestine shrugs. "You probably wouldn't even believe me if I told you."

"I'm a solider from 1918 that gets defrosted once a year to make sure I work ok and then re-frozen till I'm needed to save the world." Tommy points out.

Jestine laughs. "Yeah I guess you're right. Well it all starts with a guy known as The Doctor."

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack, Ianto and Gwen are back at the hospital. Jack looks around as Ianto checks on a monitor.

"They're knocking down the hospital." It's more a statement than a question from Jack.

"Yeah, that's what they said. Could that have triggered the time-shift?" Gwen had relayed what she had seen and heard to Jack and was pleased that she was the one that had been able to investigate and work out what was happening.

"Could have. Maybe all the psychic trauma and rift energy charged it up like a battery. 1918, this place was full of wounded soldiers." Ianto replies as he watches Jack crouch down low to the ground and place his right hand flat on the floors as if he was feeling the essence of the room.

"They had four years of it. Passchendaele, the Somme ... A million British soldiers killed during the Great War. It was like walking into hell." Jack adds as he stands up and dusts his hands off.

"Believe me. I was there." He mutters then turns on his comm. "Tosh, Owen, either of you got anything?"

"All quiet here. Just that little spike from earlier." Tosh tells him.

"Do we need to get Jestine and Tommy back in?" Owen asks.

"Not yet. Just keep watching." Jack replies as they head for the door.

**Hope you enjoyed it, I did try and get Tommy to sound like someone from 1918 would, but obviously being a 21****st**** century girl I don't really know how that would sound so please tell me if you think I got it wrong, and anything else, I really appreciate any feedback you can give me, till next time have fun **


	27. Chapter 27

**Another chapter done, without the months of waiting, hope you enjoy it, thank you for everyone who reviewed the last chapter, always really enjoy finding out what people think of this story and in particular Jestine. There was some mention of people not liking Jestine and Tommy, one of the reasons being Tosh deserves some happiness, so because of this I have tried to include some Towen and I promise I will include more in later chapters as I agree that Tosh deserves so much happiness and hated how mean the writers were to her, after this chapter there should be maybe four more on To The Last Man. Thank you once again to everyone who reviews/alerts/favourites this story, I am always blown away with the amount of support I have gotten from everyone in regards to this story.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Torchwood, wish I did, then I would never have to worry about Uni again.**

"So yeah, that's how I ended up at Torchwood." Jestine finishes telling Tommy about her travels with The Doctor and how she had met the Torchwood team.

Tommy stares ahead, trying to take in everything that Jestine had just told him. Being taken by Torchwood had opened his eyes so much over the past years/days but what Jestine had told him was so much more than that.

Jestine just watches Tommy nervously, not sure just why she had told him. Almost all the events of her life were unspoken of to anyone who had not been there to experience them themselves. She did not know what it was about Tommy but from the moment she had met him she just felt like she could trust him, something she found in so few people.

"So, umm what do you think?" Jestine asks Tommy after they had been silent for over five minutes, some of the longest five minutes of her life. The fact that he hadn't called her crazy or anything so far seemed like a good sign, maybe.

"It's a lot to take in." Tommy answers.

Jestine just nods silently.

"Explains a few things." Tommy comments after another bout nervous silence.

Jestine looks at Tommy quizzical.

"You just seem so different from everyone else. Even from this time." Tommy explains.

"Good or bad different?" Jestine asks.

"Not sure yet." Tommy gives her a reassuring smile. While some of the stuff she had said may had sounded farfetched, he still believed her.

"So you don't think I'm crazy?" She asks him tentatively. She knew telling someone even from this century some of the stuff she had told Tommy would result her being locked away in a mental institution, so she really didn't expect Tommy to believe her.

'Well I know you are crazy but it has more to do with your driving than what you just told me." Tommy teases, seeing how tense the girl was. While he was aware there was a lot that she had left out, just telling him what she had must have been difficult for her.

Jestine laughs with relief, glad that Tommy seemed to have accepted what she had told him.

"You know what, I think we need a drink." Jestine stands up and holds a hand out to Tommy who grins as he stands up.

"As long as you promise to not run anyone over on the way." He teases as he runs from Jestine before she can hit him.

"You are so dead for that Tommy." Jestine laughs as she chases after him.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

As Jack, Gwen and Ianto continue through the dark hallways Jack stops and turns around.

"Jack?" Gwen asks.

Jack indicates for her to be silent while he listens.

"Jack" Gwen says again, getting annoyed at all the people ignoring her today.

"Shh." Jack frowns as he tries to hear, Ianto rolling his eyes at Gwen needing to be told twice to be quiet.

"Go ahead." Jack motions for Gwen to keep moving forward while he and Ianto turn back around.

Gwen grumbles under her breath at Ianto being the one to go with Jack but then calms her mood when she realises this is only because Ianto couldn't be trusted to investigate on his own, unlike her.

Jack turns a corner and turns on his flashlight with Ianto silently doing the same just behind him.

They both turn back as they hear singing.

"Tick-tock, wind up the clock  
I like them all ..."

The singing is followed by a nurse pushing a patient in a wheelchair at what appears to be at the end of the corridor.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." The nurse laughs.

"Show me a skirt, and my brain simply whirls ... #" The patient keeps singing as the nurse continues to push the wheelchair through the corridor.

She heads towards Jack and Ianto but shows no sign of seeing them there.

"Shh! Matron won't have singing. You'll get a good telling off if she hears you." The nurse warns the patient.

"I love their dimples and curls" Causing the nurse to giggle.  
"Tick-tock, wind up the clock."

"And I start my day over again"  
"Tick-tock, wind up the clock"  
"And I start my day over again ... "

The nurse and patient continue on without seeming to have seen Jack or Ianto, even when Jack shone his torch on them.

"Jack, you see anything? Cos I've got small rises here." Tosh tells Jack over the comms.

"Yeah, we've got a few ghosts here." Jack tells her as he watches the nurse and patient turn the corner towards Gwen.

They both move to check on Gwen.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

As Jestine catches up with Tommy he scoops her up to avoid her hitting him.

"Hey, put me down." Jestine laughs as he carries her around in a circle. "Put me down this instant."

"If you promise to not hit me I will put you down." Tommy bargains with Jestine.

"Never." Jestine grins as she tries to wiggle out of Tommy's grip.

"Then I'm not putting you down." "Or should I just throw you over." Tommy suggest as he carries Jestine towards the fence surrounding the docks.

"No, Tommy don't you dare." Jestine tries to threaten but any fierceness is lost amongst her laugh.

"You promise then?" Tommy stops for Jestine's reply.

"Fine, fine, I promise." Jestine gives up.

Tommy carefully puts Jestine back down.

"I am so going to get you back for that." Jestine mocks glares at Tommy.

Tommy laughs. "I can still toss you over the fence if you want." Tommy threatens as he slowly advances on Jestine.

"You wouldn't." Jestine bluffs as she slowly walks back till she hits the fence.

"You sure?" Tommy grins at her as he moves forward so they are almost touching.

"You wouldn't, you can't." Jestine pleads with Tommy, but all the while with a smile on her face.

But instead of saying anything in response Tommy leans in and quickly kisses her on the lips.

When he pulls back Jestine is looking at him wide eyed, shocked and confused.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Tommy looks away guiltily.

"What, no. Tommy don't apologise. It just caught me out that's all." Jestine reaches out and places a hand on his arm to make sure he doesn't move away.

"So you wouldn't mind if I kissed you again?" Tommy asks hopefully.

Jestine leans forward and presses her lips to Tommy's in reply.

Tommy is surprised for a moment before kissing back.

Jestine opens her mouth, allowing Tommy to slip his tongue in.

Their tongues join in a slow and sensual dance.

They eventually break apart, both breathing hard.

"I think its time for that drink." Jestine pants as she takes Tommy's hand and starts walking towards a local pub that she knows.

Tommy just happily nods.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Hey." Owen greets Tosh as he sits down at his desk, having spent the morning on autopsies.

Tosh smiles back at him from her desk.

"How are you going? Being in here instead of showing Tommy around like normal?" Owen asks Tosh, trying to not sound jealous.

"I'm fine. It's good for him to be with different people." Tosh answers without looking away from her screen.

"You sure, you two have been quiet close in past years."

"But that was in the past, now he gets to spend the day with Jestine." Tosh tersely replies.

"Tosh, come on, you can tell me what's wrong. I know you aren't fine with the fact that every year you got to spend the day with Tommy and now Jestine has come along and stolen that from you." Owen moves over to Tosh.

"She didn't steal it from me." Tosh sighs, she didn't feel right talking to Owen about Tommy, not as they were now dating and she had once had a thing for Tommy.

"Come on Tosh. I know you used to like him. And honestly I don't blame you. Tommy was a gentleman who enjoyed spending time with you, gave you a chance to get away from prats like me." Owen tells her as he gives her a hug.

"You're not a prat." Tosh tells Owen as she returns the hug.

"Well I was in the past. And I know I hurt you a lot. Which I am really sorry for." Owen tells her.

"Thank you Owen." Tosh smiles at him.

"So you going to tell me the problem now?" Owen asks.

Tosh sighs, realising that there is no way Owen will let her get away with not telling him.

"It's just I'm worried about Tommy. You know what Jestine is like. She's told us enough stories and I don't want her to take advantaged of Tommy." Tosh confesses.

"Oh Tosh, my sweet sweet Tosh." Owen shakes his head at Tosh. "Tommy is a big boy, he can handle himself against Jestine."

"You sure?" Tosh asks uncertainly. She knew that Tommy as an adult and therefore able to make his own choices but it didn't stop her worrying, especially with Jestine around.

"If it will make you feel better I can speak to Jestine when they get back." Owen tries to reassure Tosh.

"Would you. I just don't think Jestine realises that not everyone takes sex as lightly as she does." Tosh is so glad in that moment that she had taken the chance on Owen instead of spending all her time pinning over a man she saw only once a year.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Hey can I have a scotch straight up." Jestine asks the bartender before turning to Tommy. "What do you want?"

"Half bitter thanks." Tommy smiles as he scans the room, his eyes settling on the TV hung above the bar.

His smile fades as he watches. The TV tells of Iraqi soldier and civilians being killed from a roadside bomb.

Jestine gives him a sad smile when she realises what Tommy is seeing on TV.

"Seems like there's always a war somewhere." Tommy mutters as he watches the images.

Jestine just nods silently, knowing to deny it would be to tell a lie neither her or Tommy would ever believe.

"The first year they woke me up ... 1919 ... they told me it was all over. We won. The war to end all wars, they said. And then three weeks later, you had the Second World War. After all that." Tommy grabs their drinks and heads to a table.

Jestine downs most of the drink as they sit.

"Do you never wonder if we're worth saving? The human race." Tommy asks. "After everything you have seen and done out there, how can you fight to save us when we are fighting ourselves?"

Jestine sighs, it was a tough question, one that she struggled to answer some days.

"Yeah. I think we're worth saving. Wars and all. And it's the same through out time and space. Harmony is rare no matter where or when you are."

"What?" Jestine asks as Tommy smiles at her shyly.

Tommy blushes. "I was just thinking ... I'd do anything for you. Yeah, all you have to do is say, "Tommy, you're my brave, handsome hero, and I need you." Tommy laughs embarrassed.

Jestine draws a sharp breath and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, there is a distinct sadness swimming in her eyes, a sadness that seems beyond her age.

"Oh Tommy." Jestine sighs. "You can't, you just can't. Not me, not someone like me." Jestine mutters.

"I'm serious. I would do anything for you." Tommy tells her again, this time serious.

"You don't even know me, you could never want anything to do with me if you knew me." Jestine shakes her head.

"I know we only met today but there is a connection between us. I can feel it. Nothing you have done in the past would change that." Tommy grabs hold of Jestine's hands.

Jestine tears her hands away from his. "I wish I could believe you Tommy. But there is so much dark in my past. I would never deserve someone like you." Jestine looks away.

Tommy moves his hand to Jestine's chin, moving it so she is forced to look him in the eye. "I don't care who you were in the past. It's not important. All I care is who you are now. And that I would do anything for you, regardless of whether you want me to or not." And Tommy leans in, his lips meeting hers in a soft, gentle, comforting kiss.

When they break free Jestine is smiling at him, even if the sadness still lingers in her eyes.

Tommy smiles back at her when suddenly there is a small whooshing sound. Tommy grimaces, holding his head.

Jestine looks at him with concern. "Hey, you ok? What is it?"

"I dunno. I just felt something." Tommy tells Jestine as he rubs his head from the lingering pain.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Gwen, you okay?" Jack asks through the comms.

Gwen is walking through a different dark corridor with no flashlight.

"Gwen?" Jack asks again, concerned that Gwen didn't asks first time around.

"I'm fine." Gwen finally answers.

She enters a dark room. Gwen turns on the ceiling light. It flickers as she continues through the room.

She turns to cover her own back as the light continues to flicker.

She reaches the other end of the room and steps into another hallway.

She stops, eyes wide as she sees a man sitting in a chair in the hallway. His elbows are on his knees as if he has been waiting for a long time. A nurse walks past Gwen and heads for the man.

"They're ready for you now." She informs him.

The man gets up as the nurse turns and leaves around the corner.

Gwen turns around to look at the nurse.

The nurse steps backwards and peers back around the corner to look at Gwen. Gwen doesn't notice the nurse looking right at her.

Gwen turns and sees the nurse looking at her.

The nurse hesitantly starts to walk towards Gwen. Gwen assumes she is looking at something else, so turns to see what it is. But there is no one else there, just the lights flickering.

"Hello?" The nurse asks nervously.

Gwen still doesn't realise that the nurse is talking to her so does not reply.

"Hello?" The nurse asks again as she continues to move towards Gwen.

"I see you." The nurse tells Gwen.

Gwen backs away from her.

"Why won't you leave us alone? You shouldn't be here!" The nurse tells Gwen as she continues towards Gwen.

"I don't mean you any harm." Gwen tells her as she moves back, her arms out in front of her.

"You shouldn't be here! You shouldn't be here!" The nurse tells Gwen.

"I don't mean you any harm. Shh!" Gwen tries to calm the nurse as the lights flicker off.

When the light flickers back on the nurse is gone. Only the echoes of her yelling can be heard, distorted through time. Gwen puts her arms down as she realises they are holding back nothing but air. She looks around spooked.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Are you sure you are ok?" Jestine asks once again as they play pool.

"I've told you. I'm fine." Tommy replies, shaking his head at Jestine. "Would you just stop worrying and play your shot."

Jestine sticks her tongue out before taking her shot.

"What was it like? Before Torchwood took you." Jestine asks Tommy.

Tommy ponders his answer as he lines up his own shot.

"Not much to tell. Nothing exciting like you." Tommy answers, not sure what he could tell her after what she had told him.

"No but really what was it like. Did you have a job before the war? Were you looking forward to getting back into the action or hoping that it would stop before you healed? Did you have a girlfriend waiting back home for you? Or were you a single lad ready to take on the world?" Jestine asks as she watches him curiously.

Tommy laughs at all of Jestine's questions.

"Ok. Well before the war I was working on the farm. No I wasn't looking forward to going back out to fight but I knew I had to. I had to defend my country." Then Tommy sighs as he comes to Jestine's next question.

"Her name was Ellie. We courted for two years." Tommy answers after a few minutes.

"What happened?" Jestine asks.

"I, uh, stopped seeing her, last time I was home on leave. The changed me. I couldn't just carry on like before." Tommy answers.

Jestine nods in understanding. "I'm sorry. No one tells you about that do they."

Before Tommy can answer they are interrupted by Jestine's phone going off.

"World ending all ready?" Jestine jokes as she answers the phone.

The smile quickly fades from her face.

"Yep, right, we're on the way." Jestine nods on the phone before hanging up and looking at Tommy.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I had a blast writing it, please let me know what you think, feedback can only make me better, thank you for taking the time to read, till next time**


	28. Chapter 28

**I am so so sorry for how long this chapter has taken. My dog sadly had to be put to sleep close to four weeks ago and while it wasn't unexpected it has still knocked me around a bit emotionally. That along with one of my best friends moving states for six months has really just emotionally drained me. Plus uni and losing my laptop charger has just made it near impossible for this chapter to be done. I don't know when the next chapter will be up. I will try my hardest but things have been and will continue to be tough for a while. Thank you to everyone who has/does read/review/alert/favourite. You give me a reason to smile on days that there seems no reason to.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood. If I did I'm sure things would be so much easier.**

"Demolishing the hospital is what triggers the time-shift." Jack tells the team and Tommy once they had assembled in the conference room.

"So, don't demolish it." Owen suggests.

"Too late, it's already started." Jack tells him.

"What happens next?" Gwen asks, looking around the room.

Jestine glances at Tommy as she feels his eyes on her.

"Two different times should never exist simultaneously. You want to be in 1918, or now. Not both." Jack explains.

"So when 1918 becomes fully manifest ..." Tosh starts.

"It's really going to screw us up." Owen summarises in a way only he can.

Jack picks up a sheet of paper to demonstrate.

"Okay ... Linear time." Jack then crumples up the paper into a ball. "Screwed up time." Jack tells them before throwing it to Owen who catches it.

"Imagine your life as a straight line, from birth to death. Now, try drawing that line on the paper without straightening it out." Jack continues.

"It's impossible." Gwen points out.

"That's why we've got to stop it."

"Ianto. Is that box doing anything yet?" Jack asks Ianto who has been playing with a box the whole meeting.

"Still locked." Ianto replies as he tries once again to open it.

Jack nods in acknowledgement before heading out of the room with the rest of the team following him.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Okay. We need to find out how fast the time-shift is happening."

"Get some idea when it's going to complete. Jestine, Owen, go to the hospital. We need readings. Cover the place with rift monitors."

"Gwen, go through the files, see if there's anything we missed. Tosh I want you to go back through all the readings we have already and tell me if there is any pattern." Jack orders.

"Ianto, any chance of some of your magic coffee?" Jack smiles as he looks over to his lover. Ianto returns his smile before heading to the coffee machine.

As Jestine grabs her jacket she looks over to Tommy, offering him a small smile before leaving. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Need a hand?" Owen asks as Jestine knees in front of an open case and he puts his down. 

"Just a couple more." She replies as she tosses him a reader that he easily catches and moves towards the wall to set it up.

"Listen, Jestine, I've been meaning to say ... uh, just be careful."

Jestine raises an eyebrow at the comment. "What do you mean?"

"Just watch it with Tommy ok. Tosh is worried about you taking advantage of him. But I think you need to be careful you don't get too close for your sake too." Owen tells her as he sets up the reader, careful to not meet her eyes.

"No don't Owen. We are fine. I wouldn't do that to Tommy." Jestine replies.

"Shit, you've already fallen for him haven't you?" Owen asks her.

"What, no, don't be stupid." Jestine angrily replies.

Owen raises a sceptical eyebrow.

Jestine glares at Owen. "Just get over it would you, I haven't fallen for him." Jestine tells him angrily.

And Owen may have just left it at that had he not heard the mutter "yet".

Owen looks over at the girl and gives a sigh. Why did he have to be the one to talk to her about this, surely this was one of the girl's jobs.

"Yet?" Owen asks.

"So not talking about it." Jestine replies as she fiddles with the monitors, refusing to look Owen in the eye.

"Like I want to either." Owen mutters to himself.

"Look I'm not good with all this mushy emotions things but if you want to talk I'm here for you." Owen offers Jestine the best he can; he had never been good with dealing with people's emotions, not even Katie's.

Jestine pauses for a second, as if sizing up her options.

"Look its stupid. There isn't even anything to say." Jestine tells him.

"It's just. I don't know. Theres something about him. I can be myself around. I don't have to lie to him. Watch everything I say to him. I can tell him who I am and he understands me. And considering he is from the 1918s that really saying something. Jestine sighs. "And theres nothing going on for now, but really, I just know he is someone I could so easily fall for. He's just so different from the people I'm used to."

"Hey, I understand. I just don't want you to be hurt if you have to say goodbye, none of us do."

"Yeah." Jestine nods absently.

Owen isn't too convinced that Jestine had listened to anything he had just said but before he could say anything Gwen interrupted.

"Owen, can you hear me?" Gwen asks over the comms.

"What is it?" Owen asks.

"I need you to go down into the east wing of the hospital, head for the second floor, what used to be the radiology section." Gwen tells him.

Jestine nods to him to signal that she is right with the monitors before he moves off.

"I think that area contains a clue to the time-shift. I read this earlier, but it didn't make any sense." Gwen tells them as she sits at her desk looking through the files.

"In the Torchwood 1918 field report at the hospital, they describe a certain detail of their encounter."

"It reads ... "Through a hole in the external wall, we hear the roar of great engines. Outside is a woman in strange armour, ripping a Union jack, perhaps some future heroine of the Empire." Gwen describes the findings as Owen sits on his haunches thinking.

"I mean, what does it mean? It doesn't sound like us now, I mean – the time-shift has started, but maybe it doesn't complete until – well, years in the future." Gwen tries to be upbeat, tries to think that things aren't going to end badly, at least not today.

Owen gets up and goes to the back of the storage room and looks around.

"Got it!" Owen tells Gwen as he grabs a chair and uses it to climb up the counter and look out a hole in the back on the wall.

"It's, uh, it's some kind of advert. It's, uh, for car insurance. That sound they heard must have been traffic. It's not years in the future ... it's now." Owen exclaims as he looks at the advert.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"How are you Tosh?" Tommy asks Tosh as he watches her work on her computer. He still marvelled over the computer and the other technological advances that he had seen each time he had been woken up at Torchwood.

"I'm good thanks." Tosh gives him a smile as she continues looking over the readings in hopes for a pattern forming in front of her eyes.

"I just wanted to say that I'm really glad that you and Owen are together. You really deserve to be happy." Tommy smiles at Tosh. The last few days/years he had spent with Tosh and within the first few hours he had been able to conclude that Tosh was in love with Owen.

"How about you. You and Jestine seem to be close." Tosh tries to keep her voice calm. It wasn't that she didn't like Jestine. She just didn't want Jestine to sleep with Tommy and then move on. He deserved more than being just some toy to her.

"Yeah." Tommy grins. "She's certainly something else."

Tosh internally sighs. "Just be careful ok. She sees and does things differently from the rest of us."

Tommy sits on the edge of Tosh's desk. "I appreciate your concern Tosh but I can look after myself. And we talked. Or more Jestine talked and told me about parts of her past. And I understand what she is like and where she is coming from."

"As long as you promise to be careful." Tosh stands so she can give him a hug. She knew he was an adult and could make these decisions for himself but it didn't mean she wouldn't keep an eye out for him.

"If you promise the same." Tommy tells her as he holds her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine is busy with the monitors when they start to beep. She walks over to some of them to have a look when the alarms suddenly blare and the lamp lights of the hospital flash.

She looks around for a moment before hurrying out of the room to find Owen.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack is busy working at his desk when the sealed canister lets of wisps of golden rift light, causing it to unlock. Jack drops his pen and removes the papers that are in the canister.

He breaks the Torchwood seal and opens the envelope, removing the papers before starting to read through the handwritten letter.

Ianto enters with two coffees, knowing that Jack would want one and he himself wishing for some time with Jack.

"Instructions?" He asks as he realises that Jack is reading papers from the canister.

"Yeah, for Tommy." Jack tells him as he reads onto the next page.

He stops and lets out a sigh.

"And Jestine." He tells Ianto, a little sadly.

Ianto looks at him, concerned about what the consequences might be for them all. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Owen, Gwen, Tommy and Jestine are seated around the conference room as Jack walks in. They notice a letter and circular object in his hands.

"In twelve hours, there'll be a brief moment when both times exist, before the time shift completes, when Tommy can be here now, and in 1918. He needs to be in the hospital, ready to step from one time to another." Jack explains once he has sat down.

"So he'd be right inside the time-shift?" Gwen asks, still trying to get her head around all the details of time travel and time shifts.

"And he can close the fracture that caused it." Jack tells the team.

"And when the fractures closed?" Tommy asks, wanting to know as much information as possible.

"1918 will be back where it belongs." Owen summarises.

"So will I." Tommy adds.

Jack nods, glancing quickly at Jestine, noticing she was once again being unusually quiet.

"For good?" Tommy asks, not sure he is as happy with the thought of going back that he once was.

"Yeah. You're the only one who can do this. We brought you from 1918 to now, and when you go back to 1918, your life will be like a thread, stitching time back together again." Jack explains.

"A stitch in time." Tommy quips.

"How?" Gwen asks.

"This is a rift manipulator. It's basically a key. Once you're inside the time-shift, you can close the door behind you." Jack explains as he holds up the circle object he had brought with him.

"And that's it? I'm gone?" Tommy asks sadly. He turns and looks at Jestine as she looks away upset. No one else speaks the room heavy with silence.

The door opening breaking the silence, revealing Ianto carrying a large box.

"Tommy, stay with Ianto. Jestine, with me." Jack tells them as he picks up the things and leaves. This signals the end of the meeting, Tosh, Owen and Gwen all heading out, all eager to leave the depressing atmosphere that had descended upon the room.

Jestine looks at Tommy for a moment before quickly following Jack out of the room. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What happens to him?" Jestine asks Jack as she enters his office.

Jack debates for a second to lie to Jestine but quickly comes to the conclusion that she deserves to know the truth.

"Three weeks after we send Tommy back, he dies." Jack sighs after telling her.

"How?" Jestine asks, not sure that she really wants to know.

"He's shot by a firing squad." Jack tells her sadly.

"Shit." Jestine mutters. "What for?"

"In 1918, Tommy was suffering from shell shock. That's why he was in the hospital. When Torchwood took him and froze him, they froze his most recent memories. When he returns to 1918, he'll revert back to who he was. He'll be shell-shocked and so he'll be executed by the British Army for cowardice." Jack explains.

"Oh God. No." Jestine shakes her head.

"I know." Jack tries to comfort her. "I'm sorry. Lots of soldiers who were shell-shocked recovered enough to be sent back to the Front. But once they were there ... they broke down again."

"And so they kill him." Jestine replies in a tone that Jack is unable to interrupt.

"Yeah, more than three hundred of them."

"And we have to send him back knowing that." Jestine says.

"We have to." Jack reinforces, if he had any other choice he would take it but they didn't. It was Tommy or the universe, there just wasn't a choice.

"I don't know if I can."

"Yes, you can. He trusts you." Jack tries to reassure her, she was needed for this to work.

"To send him to his death." Jestine says in not quite a question but not quite a statement.

"To help him save the future. It has to be you." Jack shows her a page of the letter showing a sketch of herself. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"We've kept these in the archives. You were wearing them in the hospital when Torchwood took you." Ianto tells Tommy as he opens up the box.

"Good job the moths haven't got into them." Tommy tells him as he has a look at his jacket.

He takes out his pyjama bottoms.

"So I'll be saving the world in some pyjamas? How daft is that?" Tommy tells Ianto.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Torchwood 1918 saw you with Tommy in the hospital, telling him what to do. I know you. You're strong enough to do this." Jack tells Jestine as she looks at the sketch of herself.

He gives her the letter.

"Does Tommy know what happens to him?" Jestine asks him as she scans the letter.

"No." Jack replies.

"Fuck. What can I say if he asks?" Jestine asks herself more than Jack.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Where's Toshiko?" Tommy asks as he puts the box down next to the old couch.

"Still in with Jack." Gwen tells him.

"So ... tomorrow morning." Tommy says. Ianto nods to confirm the answer to the question that was left hanging in the air. "What time is it now?" Tommy asks, suddenly needing to know how much time he had left.

Gwen fiddles to check her watch as Ianto checks his.

"Ten to nine." Ianto answers.

"So what do we do till then?" Tommy asks them.

The room is silent as the others look at each other, none of them sure of what to suggest.

Tommy scoffs. "You don't know, do you?"

"What would you like to do?" Gwen asks trying to sooth the situation.

"The night before we went over the top, we used to play cards, write letters. Have a drink, if anyone had some." Tommy reminisces a little as he sits down.

"Yeah, well, we could do that." Owen agrees as Ianto turns to get some supplies.

"But you're not coming with me. I'm going on my own." Tommy breaks the mood, leaving an awkward silence to descend upon them.

The silence is broken by Jestine leaving Jack's office and gathering her belonging that were still scattered around The Hub, Ianto not having found the time the previous day to bring a desk up for her. Jack leans against his office doorframe.

"We were just wondering what, um, Tommy should do tonight." Gwen asks Jack.

"He's coming with me." Jestine interrupts before anyone else can say anything.

They all look at Jestine.

"He's not our prisoner; he doesn't have to stay here. Does he?" Jestine challenges them each to say different.

"No." Jack replies before turning to Tommy. "If that's what you both want."

They both turn to each other and nod.

"Tomorrow morning, 6:30." Jack orders them.

"Jack and I are going to be on call tonight Jestine." Ianto tells Jestine.

"Um, yeah, we were going to just…" Jestine starts to say before looking at Ianto. "Oh, thanks." She finishes.

She then continues collecting her belongs while Tommy hands the box back to Ianto.

Jack watches sadly from his office doorway.

**Thank you for taking the time and effort to read this, please let me know what you thought, it really does help my writing to get feedback. I promise I will try and get the next one up as soon as possible. Till next time.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hope this chapter didn't take too long for you. While things are great at the moment, they have been just so busy, I'm not sure when the next update will be although hopefully the end of this month or early next month. Warning to those that aren't fans of Jestine, the next chapter will be mostly focused on her and her dealing with Tommy return. Thank you once again to everyone who reads this and reviews/favorites/alerts. I do love reading what you all think about the story and Jestine and they do really help my writing so please continue.**

**Disclaimer: Belongs to RTD and BBC, certainly not me.**

They talked as they walked to Ianto's place. Tommy hadn't felt up to risking it on Jestine's bike again and it was only a short walk.

"So I'm there in the middle of the stadium and they're all expecting me to perform. Theres no sign of The Doctor to help me and they will kill me if they don't like it." Jestine tells Tommy as she laughs.

"So what did you do?" Tommy asks, laughing too. He had never heard stories as outrageous as Jestine's.

"Well what else am I meant to do? I start belting out the theme song to a TV show from the planet Navaros."

Tommy laughs, the whole idea just sounding so unreal. "What did they do?"

"They loved it and made me sing it again and again until The Doctor showed up and managed to save me." Jestine finishes her story.

Any comment that Tommy was going to say was drowned out by a growl followed by screams.

"Shit." Jestine curses as she recognises the sound.

"What was that?" Tommy asks nervously.

"Weevil. And with all these people around not good." Jestine replies as she scans for the creature.

She pulls out her phone. "Ianto. Yeah not there yet. Got a weevil. Yeah, too many people around to let it go. I'll grab it now if you could come to collect it for me. He'll be fine. You just be ready to take it back." Tommy listened to the brief conservation, not liking the sound of it.

"Here catch." Jestine throws Tommy a small canister with a spray lid.

"Weevil spray, here have this too." Jestine quickly passes him a gun before pulling out another for herself.

"We aren't going after it are we?" Tommy asks as Jestine also pulls out a taser.

Jestine flashes him a grin before running off in the direction of the screams.

Tommy gulps for a moment before setting off after her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Weevil alert." Ianto tells Jack as he gets off the phone.

Jack groans, he had been hoping for a quite night in.

He frowns for a second. "Wait, wasn't that Jestine on the phone?"

"Yup." Ianto replies as he grabs Jack's coat.

"She's going after it isn't she?" Jack groans.

"Yeah, we better hurry if we are going to get there to grab it to take back here." Ianto tells him as helps Jack into his coat.

Jack can't help but smile as Ianto helps him into his coat.

"What about Tommy?" Jack asks as they head to the garage.

"She said he would be fine." Ianto shrugs.

Jack just glares, hoping that Jestine's recklessness wasn't going to get anyone hurt or worse killed.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You're crazy you know that." Tommy pants as he watches her cuff the Weevil they had just spent the last 10 minutes chasing.

"What makes you say that?" Jestine grins at him.

"Most people run away from the monster, not chase after it." Tommy explains.

"Where's the fun in that." Jestine laughs.

"You could have gotten hurt." Tommy tells her. "As it is it tore your clothes.

Jestine shrugs. "All part of the job, and it wasn't even a scratch."

Tommy just shakes his head, realising that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Jestine.

"Anyway, what better way to get the adrenaline going?" Jestine smiles at him.

"I'm sure there are safer ways." Tommy mutters as the Torchwood SUV pulls up.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You should have waited." Jack tells her as he gets out of the SUV.

"Didn't need to. Had it sorted." Jestine protest.

"Still you should be careful." Ianto tells her as he helps Jack pick up the Weevil.

"You shouldn't go after a Weevil on your own. And before you say anything Tommy isn't trained. It was dangerous, you are lucky that neither of you got seriously hurt." Ianto lectures her as he moves the Weevil into the back of the SUV with Jack's help.

"We were fine. I had it under control." Jestine rolls her eyes. "Anyway, was I to just let it go around attacking everyone?" She challenges them.

"Look neither of us are saying that you didn't do a good job." Jack tries to calm the girl. "We are just saying be more careful, it would be so easy for you to get hurt."

"Like I said, we were fine." Jestine accepts what Jack and Ianto are saying, if not a little begrudgingly.

"They are right. It did manage to tear your clothes. If it got you a bit deeper it may have hurt you."

"But it didn't." Jestine sighs, she hated people telling her to be more careful. "Can you all just stop worrying? I can look after myself."

"You sure you're not injured?" Ianto asks as he and Jack come back from securing the weevil in the SUV.

"Do I look injured?" Jestine huffs, sick and tired of the fussing.

"We're just making sure. If you aren't going to look out for yourself then we will." Jack tells her.

Jestine rolls her eyes.

"Alright then. You kids enjoy yourselves while we go back to protecting the world." Jack tells them as he gets back into the SUV.

"Remember to keep safe." Ianto adds as he too gets in.

Jestine rolls her eyes at them before waving as they set off back to The Hub.

"Well that was fun." Jestine grins.

"Remind me to never do that again." Tommy shakes his once again at Jestine's antics. He really had thought for a moment that the weevil had gotten Jestine and that she was going to die on him. He couldn't remember a time when he had been more scared, aside from when he was on Jestine's bike.

"Come on, let's get out of the cold." Jestine starts heading towards Ianto's flat once more, with Tommy gladly following.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So yeah, this is my place, well Ianto's place but it's where I'm crashing at the moment." Jestine tells Tommy as they walk into the flat.

"It's very neat." Tommy comments politely.

"Yeah, his a bit anal retentive like that." Jestine smiles at Tommy.

"And well, he doesn't get to spend much time in here. Too busy saving the world." Jestine adds a little sadly.

"Just like you." Tommy adds as he pulls her in for a hug.

"And you tomorrow." Jestine reminds him. "I only just got to met you and you are going to leave me."

"I know." Tommy sighs, he hadn't known her for long but Jestine had really gotten under his skin. "I won't even be able to write to you. You're going to be so far away."

Jestine nods, unable to say anything, knowing that wouldn't be the only reason.

Tommy strokes her check before leaning in for a kiss. Jestine kiss back and it deepens between them. Neither notices the clock chiming midnight.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack sighs as he sorts though some papers. He wished that they didn't have to send Tommy back tomorrow, especially not since him and Jestine had obviously become so close. He catches Ianto coming up the stairs behind him.

"This time tomorrow, he'll be back in 1918." Jack tells Ianto as he lingers by the stairs.

"In his own time. Would you go back to yours? If you could?" Ianto couldn't stop himself from asking, it was something that played on his mind so often.

"Why, would you miss me?" Jack jokes, hoping to lighten what was promising to be a depressing conservation.

Ianto bites down his nerves. "Yep." He moves closer, wanting to be with his lover but not sure if Jack would want him.

"I left home a long time ago. I don't really know where I really belong. Maybe that doesn't matter anymore." Jack replies, wondering where Ianto was heading with this conservation.

Ianto sits on the edge of Jack's desk. "I – don't you get lonely?"

"Going home wouldn't fix that. Being here, I've seen things I never dreamt I'd see. Loved people I never would have known if I'd just stayed where I was." Jack answers truthfully as he meets Ianto's eyes.

"And I wouldn't change that for the world."

Ianto feels his heart swell. While in the past he may have had doubts, he knew Jack was referring to him amongst those who he had loved.

He leans forward and meets Jack's lips in a fiery kiss, both pouring all their passion into it. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You ok?" Owen asks Tosh over dinner. He had decided that tonight Tosh had deserved something special, a night to take her mind off things. Although why he was then asking her if she was ok when it was only going to bring it all up he wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry Owen. I know you went to a lot of trouble for this." Tosh replies. She knew that the restaurant normally had a month's long waiting list.

"Nothings trouble for you." Owen smiles at Tosh while ignoring how corny and sappy he sounded.

Tosh smiles back at Owen. While he was often rude and short with people, he did have a soft sweet side if you just knew how to get to it.

"It's just I'm worried about Tommy. I know it's silly and that he's an adult and can look out for himself. I just don't trust Jestine though. It's silly. I trust her with my life but not with a frozen solider from 1918." Tosh sighs.

"Hey it's not silly." Owen reassures her as he takes hold of her delicate hands. Even before they had gotten together he had always marvelled at Tosh's hands. They were so small and delicate but capable of such amazing things, just like their owner.

"We both know that Jestine can come across as callous sometimes. But she does care about Tommy." Owen tells Tosh.

Tosh looks at Owen in surprised. Sure she didn't think that Jestine was some kind of monster that didn't have feelings and just used people for her own benefit but she really didn't think that Jestine would care about Tommy, especially after such a short time knowing him.

"You sure?" Tosh asks.

"Yeah. Spoke to her. She reckons she hasn't fallen for him yet but seems to think that she could if she let herself. She feels she can relate to him and be herself with him. And I doubt there are many other people that she can feel like that about." Owen tells Tosh.

Tosh takes a few moments to take in what Owen had said. She considered Jestine a friend but had never thought about just how lonely Jestine must be. How hard it would be to keep so many secrets from such a young age. She vowed then and there to make more of an effort to stop Jestine from feeling lonely or out of place.

"Neither me or her like to talk about our emotions but maybe once Tommy is back you and her can have some girl time together or whatever it is that you lot do when one of you are dealing with a break up." Owen suggests.

Tosh nods in agreement while smiling at Owen.

"Now that we have dealt with that, how about we enjoy our night. God knows we both deserve it." Owen leans forward and gives Tosh a quick peck on the lips.

"I agree." Tosh smiles as Owen sits back down.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What did he tell you? What happens to me?" Tommy asks Jestine as they lie in bed, Jestine curled up against him.

"They send you back to France." Jestine tells him.

"Then what?" Tommy asks.

"I'm sorry." Jestine tells him, her voice filled with sadness and regret.

Tommy nods, understanding that Jestine was telling him of his death. While it wasn't something that he had been wishing for, since he had signed up he had been expecting it. "Do they find my body?" He hopes that his father would at least have something to burry.

Jestine finds she can't talk. She strokes his check and nods, wishing that it didn't have to be this way but knowing that once again there was nothing she could do.

"Well, that's something." Tommy replies before leaning forward and kissing her.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"I really would miss you." Ianto tells Jack as they lie in his bunk after making love.

"I promise I'm not going to leave you again." Jack strokes Ianto's hair.

"What if The Doctor asks?" Ianto says out loud what he had been fearing since Jack had gotten back.

Jack sighs, he had hoped that with their progressing relationship that Ianto had started to lose his insecurities over Jack's feelings and commitment to him.

"Ianto I promise I will not leave you like I did before. Yes if The Doctor needs my help I will go, but I will come back, I promise. I will always come back for you. I love you and could never travel with The Doctor when I have you waiting here for me."

Ianto smiles at Jack, his eyes swimming with emotion, matched by Jack's own.

"I love you too Cariad."

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine smiles as she watches Tommy's chest slowly rise and fall. He really was something else. She just wished that he wasn't leaving her just like everyone else.

"Hey." She smiles as he opens his eye.

"You watching me sleep?" Tommy asks.

"Yeah." Jestine replies.

"That's a little creepy you know." Tommy teases her.

Jestine sticks her tongue out, causing Tommy to laugh at her.

Jestine laughs back for a moment before her gaze falls on the clock, her face quickly turning serious.

Tommy looks to her, understanding instantly the reason for her chance in mood.

"It's time." Jestine says needlessly.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The atmosphere in The Hub that morning was tense, everyone aware that in only hours they would be sending Tommy back to 1918 and his death.

"Jestine." Jack calls out as she and Tommy arrive, the last.

Jestine looks up and sees Jack gesturing to his office.

Jestine reluctantly leaves Tommy's side.

"What's up?" Jestine asks as she drops into one of the chairs in front of Jack's desk.

"I just wanted to see how you are. What with Tommy being sent back today." Jack tells her as he leans against his desk watching the girl.

Jestine watches him for a second before answering. "Look, I've had better days but I'm fine. I really am. This whole things sucks but we are just going to have to get it over and done with and then move on.

"You sure? I know you and Tommy have gotten quite close in the last day." Jack asks, he had to know if Jestine was going to be ok. He had already let his team down enough times; he wasn't going to do it again.

"He's a good guy. And I will miss him but I can do this Jack. I don't need anyone to look out for me. I appreciate it but it isn't needed. This isn't the first time I've done this kind of thing."

"You often send frozen soldiers back to 1918?" Jack jokes, although still not convinced that Jestine is as fine as she is saying.

Jestine rolls her eyes. "Yes all the time." She mutters sarcastically. "Was that all?" She asks, eager to spend more time with Tommy before he was sent back.

"Yeah, go ahead." Jack gestures to the door.

Jestine is gone in only moments. Jack doesn't know whether to be happy or sad that she had bonded with Tommy so much.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The Torchwood team and Tommy enter a ward of the hospital.

Owen and Tosh put down their kits while Jestine hands Tommy the rift manipulator.

Jack sighs before telling Tommy. "You know we can't be here when it happens." 

Tommy nods, moments before the rift alarms blare and the building shakes.

Tommy bravely steps forward and away from the group. Jestine steps forward to his side.

"Come on." She gently encourages him forward.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The team continue walking through a corridor when Tommy suddenly stops.

"Shh!" He tells them. They hear the echoes of someone singing.

They wait a moment.

"We're safe for now." Jack directs them to keep moving.

Suddenly a nurse carrying a lit lamp turns the corner in front of them and walks down the hallway. Tommy follows her with Jestine close behind him.

Tommy starts running with Jestine pounding after him as they enter the ward.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Tommy looks around the ward but there is no sign of the nurse.

"Where is she?" He asks as the rest of the team joins them.

They look at him silently.

"In 1918?" He asks when he suddenly remembers.

"Tommy, I think you'd better come with us. Don't worry. I'm Gerald, this is Harriet. We'll look after you." Gerald's voice is echoy, distorted, faint.

"Torchwood took me." He tells them.

Tommy looks around the ward, suddenly seeing himself in 1918. He watches himself asleep in the ward.

"Tommy?" Jestine asks, he voice taking on the same faint characteristic sound as Gerald's had before.

Tommy turns around to see both her and the rest of the team not far behind. He shakes his head as it becomes too much for him and runs from the room. The lights flicker as Jestine calls out to him before taking chase.

"Stay here." Jack orders the team as he follows.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"I won't do it. I can't go back." Tommy mutters distressed as he leans against the wall of a back room.

"You've got to." Jack tells him.

"No! I know what'll happen. They'll send me back to the Front. I'll be back in the trenches." He turns to Jestine. "Help me."

"You have." Jestine tells him.

"Why me?" Tommy asks as he purposely drops the rift manipulator.

"You're no better than the generals. Sitting safely behind the lines, sending us over the top. Any one of you lot could go, but you're not, are you? You're sending me." Tommy tells them. Both Jestine and Jack wince a little at the comparison.

"We belong here." Jack tells him.

"I've been shoved from pillar to post all my life by the Army, by Torchwood." Tommy advances towards Jack. Jestine steps between them.

"All this time I've had, it means nothing." Tommy looks at Jestine accusatory.

He goes to the back wall and leans against it, slowly sliding down till he is sitting huddled against the wall.

Jack heads over and knees down.

"Tommy." He tries and encourages him by grabbing his arm.

"Get off." Tommy pushes Jack off him.

"Tommy, get up." Jack orders.

"No!" Tommy yells back.

"Jack, leave us. Please." Jestine asks him.

Jack looks between the two for a moment before getting up.

"You've got two minutes." He tells Jestine before leaving.

Jestine picks up the rift manipulator before walking over to Tommy. She sits down beside him, also leaning against the wall. He moves away but she just moves closer.

"Hey, you're a hero. You know that?" He turns to look at her. "You stop the time-shift. You save everyone. You save us all.

Tommy shakes his head. "I can't do it."

Jestine sighs.

"You can. We need you to."

"I don't want to be a hero. I want to stay here with you." Tommy pleads with her.

Before Jestine can reply The Rift starts to rumble. An unnatural wind blows as Jestine turns and looks behind her. The sounds get louder and louder as Jestine and Tommy hold onto each other.

A bright light shines, forcing them to cover their eyes. The sounds subsides.

"Hello?"

Jestine and Tommy look up at Gerald and Harriet.

"Tell them." Jestine tells Tommy. 

"Tell us what?" Gerald asks the two strange people that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"You need to tell them what to do. We need you to stop it. You're the only one. If you don't, it's the end of everything." Jestine tries to get Tommy to talk.

"Tommy!" Jestine tells him urgently.

He looks down at the Rift manipulator, then gets up quickly. He heads over to Gerald and Harriet.

"Take me! I'm in there in the ward in 1918. You have to take me so I can be here now." He tells them but they don't move.

"Just take me!" He demands.

The Rift starts roaring and the wind stirs up again. Jestine and Tommy both close their eyes as the lights get extremely bright. Jestine and Tommy look around once it is done. They are back to the future.

"I'll be gone soon." Tommy tells Jestine.

"Remember ... the rift key. Use it." She tells him.

She glances at the door, then leads in a kisses him.

"You need to get back to bed. Like you were never away. Then use the key. Remember Tommy." She glances back towards the door. "It's nearly time."

He nods at her just as the crunching and roaring sound starts up again.

Tommy grabs the key and heads towards the door. He turns back and looks at Jestine. She smiles at him sadly as he heads for the door, an unnatural wind blowing around him. She watches on as the bright line shines once more. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Tommy looks around the storage room he had ended up in, clutching at the rift key. A nurse walks in.

"What are you doing? You shouldn't be in here." She scolds him before pushing him out and grabbing some linen off the shelf. She then heads out after Tommy.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine runs towards where the team was. Her heart was heavy, she would never see Tommy again but he had done what needed to be done.

"Go, go!" She tells them.

The team turn and run the other way, with Jestine pausing to glance back. Jack grabs her arm, pulling her with him not wanting her to be dragged back into 1918.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Gerald and Harriet move to the bed near the end of the room. They see Tommy sitting up in bed.

"Tommy, I think you'd better come with us." Gerald tells him as he moves the covers aside.

"Why?" The Tommy from 1918 asks.

"Don't worry. I'm Gerald, this is Harriet. We'll look after you." Gerald tries to reassure him.

"Who are you?"

"We're Torchwood." Gerald tells him as he gets up.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe. Trust me."

"It's all right. Keep going." Gerald ushers him along once he has his coat on.

"Don't look back." Gerald warns as he sees Tommy from the future enter with the nurse.

He glances back at Future Tommy once before leaving.

"You should be in bed." The nurse once again scolds Tommy.

As he takes his jacket off the nurse turns down the blanket, letting Tommy get into bed.

"Still warm, at least. Not been gone long." The nurse mutters as she leaves.

Tommy sits in the bed looking very scared and confused.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The team returns to The Hub. The mood is sober, all of them giving Jestine space as she mourns for Tommy.

As they are putting down their kit, the alarms start to blare.

"Whoa. What's happening?" Gwen looks around in confusion.

Tosh quickly starts typing away at her computer.

"The time-shift. It hasn't stopped." Jestine tells them from the old couch.

"Toshiko, show me the city, now!" Jack hopes that Jestine is wrong.

Tosh quickly pulls up a satellite view of the city on the monitor. A white light appears where the time shifts occur. In seconds of them watching more and more lights start to appear.

"It's spreading out from the hospital." Tosh tells them.

Jack nods as he tries to think of a solution.

"What the hell are they?" Owen asks from his monitor.

"Chunks of the past erupting into the present." Jack explains.

"They're everywhere." Ianto exclaims.

"What about the rift key?" Gwen asks.

"Tommy isn't using it." Jestine tells them.

"Why not?" Ianto asks.

"He's gone back ninety years ago, he's shell-shocked. Pick your reason." Jestine tells them tersely.

"One of us will have to go back." Jack tells them.

"I will." They all turn to Jestine.

"No, no you can not. As your doctor I say you can't and there has to be another way." Owen tries to step in before Jestine did something that would hurt her, again.

"I have to. Tommy came with Torchwood, let us freeze him and unfreeze him once a year. All for us to just send him back to his death. We owe him." Jestine tells Owen and the team.

"Are you up to it?" Jack asks her with concern.

"For Tommy I am." Jestine tells him.

"Good luck." Jack tells her as she takes a step forward and disappears.

They stare at the empty space that Jestine had been only seconds ago.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The hospital has fallen into madness and chaos. The patients scream as the building shakes and the lights flicker. Tommy sits up in his bed, looking around terrified.

"Tommy." Jestine calls as she appears in front of his bed.

"Tommy." She says again as she sits on his bed.

"It's me. Jestine." She tells him as he turns and looks at her.

"Who?" Tommy asks in confusion.

"I'm here to help you." Jestine informs him.

Tommy looks down at the rift key he is holding and then offers it to Jestine.

"Is this yours?" He asks.

"No. Do you know what it is?" Jestine asks him, but he isn't focusing on her, he look off to the side at someone near by.

Jestine grabs his shoulder, dragging his attention back to her.

"Tommy, it's a key. You have to use it." She explains.

"I'm scared." Tommy tells her.

"Nothing wrong with being scared." Jestine reassures him.

"That's why I'm here. I'm a ... I'm a coward." Tommy tells her.

"No, no you are not." Jestine tells him.

"What am I fighting for?" Tommy asks.

"For the future, for me." Jestine tells him as she strokes his cheek. "Because you're my brave, handsome hero. Tommy, use the key.

Tommy nods before holding up the rift key and twisting the latch on the side. The dial turns, opens and wisps of golden rift light escapes out from the key. He turns the latch back and it closes again.

"Thank you." Jestine tells him before kissing him as the building shakes and roars.

"Goodbye." Tommy tells her as an extremely bright light engulfs them both. 

**Hope you enjoyed it, let me know, if not please let me know how you think I could improve, I value all help. Till next time.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Sorry that it once again has been a long time between updates. Things just got so crazy between teaching rounds and then uni and everything else. So uni has almost finished for the year, just have exams to study for, so hopefully I will be able to update a lot more regularly. For those who don't really like Jestine I should warn you that it is pretty much all about her, and how she reacts to Tommy's death. The next chapter will begin "Meat" which I am very excited for as there are quite a few changes I have planned, especially with Gwen's behaviour in this episode. Also Jestine will have to face up to consequences in the next chapter too for those who feel she gets away with a lot. Once again thank you to each and every person who has read/reviewed/alerted/favourited, the support I have gotten for this story is just amazing.**

**Warning: In this chapter there are a lot of dark themes, such as death, suicide, murder as well as sex and alcohol and a whole heap of stuff like that, so just be aware when reading and if you don't like it, feel free to skip this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Still does not belong to me. Life would be so much easier if it did.**

They all let out a sigh of relief as they watch the white light that had been spreading across the city disappear.

"Are we safe now?" Gwen asks them after a long moment of silence.

"Yeah." Jack nods his head minutely.

"How long till Jestine's back?" Tosh asks as she squeezes Owens hand. She was glad that it hadn't been her to tell Tommy to use the Rift key and send him to her death.

"I don't know. I've never met someone like her, could be seconds or could be years, who knows." Jack admits sadly.

"That's if she comes back at all. I told her not to, she might not be strong enough to get back." Owen scowls at the missing member of the team. If she kept this up, one day her ignoring his advice will wind up with her getting hurt or worse. He really hoped though that it wouldn't come to that.

The team grow silent for a moment, each contemplating the consequences of Owen's statement.

"How do we know if that's the problem?" "What do we do if there is?" Gwen asks. Sure she didn't always get along with the girl, but that didn't mean she wanted something bad to happen to her.

Jack sighs. He really had no clue what to do about Jestine and he didn't have any answers for his team. "I really have no idea. This is all new to me too."

"Couldn't you try and contact The Doctor and get him to get her?" Tosh asks.

"I have a friend that maybe could get in contact with him but it would be too early in his time line. He might still be willing to help but I don't know." Jack answers as he tries to think of ways to get to Jestine if she is indeed stuck.

"How about if there is no sign of her by this time tomorrow I contact my friend and we see if The Doctor can help. Till then let's finish up this case." Jack claps his hands together to dismiss them and hopefully put an end to the questions he couldn't answer.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The team go about their work. Tosh is busy typing away at her computer working on a new program. Owen and Gwen are both catching up on paperwork while Jack is on the phone to the government with Ianto sitting in making sure that Jack didn't cause any more trouble.

The hub is in almost totally silence with only the sound of Tosh typing, the scribbles of Owen and Gwen and the occasionally snippet of Jack's conservation to be heard. Each team member focuses hard on their task to stop their minds wondering to Jestine.

Suddenly the alarm goes off to indicate someone is entering. This startles each of them from their task. Their heads all turning to face the cog. With five of the team accounted for it meant that it could only be one person.

Jack hurriedly finishes his call and races down to the main part of the hub with Ianto not far behind him.

He gets there in time to witness the cog roll open and reveal Jestine.

The team look at her shock as they take in her appearance. Instead of her normal shorts and t-shirt she instead appears to wearing a nurse's uniform from around World War 1 period. The uniform as well has her face and hair was streaked with dirt and there were tears in the uniform.

"You did it." Tosh smiles at the girl, proud of her and so glad to see her back safely.

Jestine manages barely more than a twitch of her mouth.

"What happened?" Jack asks as he takes in her appearance.

"I was there, I saw them shoot him." Jestine tells them stoically. "I saw them shoot him because they thought he was a coward."

"I'm sorry." Jack tells her, many cruel things had taken place both during and after the war.

"If only they knew, he was a hero, he saved us all. They know nothing about being a hero. Plotting the death of their soldiers from the comfort and safety of their bases. Never having to see a man as his last breath leaves his body and knowing it's your fault. He wouldn't be human if it hadn't affected him." Jestine tells them.

The team looks at her with worry. Each of them wasn't completely sure that she was only talking about Tommy now.

"Hey Jestine, you better come with me so I can check you over." Owen breaks the moment and encourages the girl to come with him.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Your results show that you are back to normal. Well normal for you." Owen tells Jestine. "Although I would like you to take a break. You need a rest, not just physically but emotionally too."

"I'm fine." Jestine protests.

"You may be physically back to normal but you have been through a tough patch lately. I really think it would be beneficial for you to take some time out." Owen tells her.

"Look I appreciate the sentiment, but taking a break is going to be the least useful thing I can do. I need to be out there doing something. I can't just sit back and let Tommy's sacrifice be in vain." Jestine argues back.

Owen sighs. As her doctor he really should order mandatory time off, even if she appeared perfectly fine. But he could understand where she was coming from. When he had lost both Katie and Diane the last thing he had wanted to do was take a break."

"Fine. But you will scale back a bit. I don't want you doing any night shifts for the next week and no field work unless you clear it with me first. Understand." Owen offers a compromise.

"I'm fine Owen. I don't need any of that." Jestine rolls her eyes at the suggestions.

"Tough as your doctor I'm setting these rules. You either agree to them now, or I will go to Jack and put you on force medical leave." Owen refuses to back down.

Jestine sighs. "Fine, whatever." She reluctantly agrees before flouncing out of the room.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack pounds up the stairs, racing to the roof where he had just seen Jestine close to the edge. Dangerously closed to the edge. He really hoped that he had it wrong but given everything the girl had been through he really wouldn't be surprised. He just hoped that he hadn't failed yet another of his team.

"No." Jack calls out as he burst through the fire exit doors just in time to see Jestine fall over the edge.

"NO NO!" Jack shouts as he rushes to the ledge, looking down, expecting to see Jestine's body splattered on the footpath below.

But when he looks down he can't see her. Just people walking by in their everyday lives. Jack stares down in puzzlement, he had seen her fall but she was no where to be seen.

Jack's thoughts are interrupted by a soft thump behind him.

He turns round to see Jestine getting up from a crouched position.

She looks up at him.

"Wasn't expecting you here." She tells him as she moves towards the edge once more.

Jack grabs hold of her arm before she gets to the ledge, not wanting a repeat performance.

"I saw you. How did you?" Jack stammers, he has no idea what he had just experienced.

"Sorry, about that. Like I said wasn't expecting you here." Jestine shrugs off Jack's arm as she leans against the ledge, although thankfully this time she stays on the right side.

"But what was that? How didn't you die?" Jack asks.

"Simple shift place before hit the ground." Jestine explains.

Jack nods, understanding what Jestine said, but still not knowing why.

"But why? There are options for you. You don't need to kill yourself or anything drastic. We are here to help you." Jack tells her, seriously worried about her.

Jestine looks at him in confusion for a moment before being shocked. "What no. No, so was not doing that." She gives a bit of a chuckle. "God no, you so got the wrong idea."

"You mean you weren't trying to kill yourself?" Jack asks Jestine in disbelief and relief.

"No, no, so not." Jestine shakes her head, amazed that Jack would come to that conclusion.

"Then what were you doing?" Jack asks in confusion.

Jestine sighs, seeming unsure of how to explain herself. "I, I just wanted to feel the wind rushing by me, wanted to feel alive for a moment." She tries to explain. "So much has just happened and it's just my way of reminding myself that I'm still alive. I use to ground myself."

Jack nods a little. He could understand what she meant, but he really didn't like her doing something so dangerous.

"You could have seriously hurt yourself or worse." He informs her. "Even a second too long could be too late."

"Don't worry Jack, I know what I'm doing. I always make sure my timing is right." She tries to sooth him.

"Always." Jack chokes out, shocked at the implication.

Jestine just shrugs.

"Other than throwing yourself off buildings, are you ok?" Jack feels stupid to be asking, she clearly wasn't.

"Look, to be honest it has all knocked me around a bit. But I will be fine." Jestine admits.

"We are here for you, you don't need to do it alone." Jack reassures her, glad that at least she was able to admit she wasn't ok.

Jestine sighs before turning and looking at Jack.

"I know you all want to be there for me but you can't. You weren't the one that sent him to his death. He trusted me. Right to the end." Jestine tells him.

"It was because you were strong." Jack ignores her snort as he makes a sweeping motion to the city sprawled out before them.

"All of this…is still here because of you." Jack tries to lift her spirits.

Jestine shakes her head. "No, its because of Tommy. He was the one who gave his life, not me. And I don't even know if we are really worth it." Jestine tells him.

"We are, we are worth it and Tommy thought that when he used the Rift Key." Jack tries to reassure her.

Jestine just shrugs again.

"So Owen told me about the deal that you and he made." Jack casually tells her.

"You aren't going to make me keep to it are you?" Jestine moans.

"Yes. Owen thinks it's the best course of action for you." Jack tells her, sensing an argument brewing.

"But I'm fine. It's stupid Jack. I don't need to be mollycoddle." Jestine glares at him.

This isn't about mollycoddling you. This is making sure that you take time to come with terms with things that have happened recently and a chance for you to recover from it."

Jestine grumbles at this but Jack does not give her a chance to reply properly.

"Jestine, you need to listen. We aren't doing this to hurt you or stop you doing what you want. We are just trying to make sure that you are ok and while Owen would have preferred you having an actual break, he thinks you need to cut back a bit."

"And I agree, especially after this little display. You are obviously hurting. Even if you aren't going to take this as a chance to heal, at least go out and have some fun or something."

"It isn't healthy for you to work all the time, especially with what we do. Can you please just promise that you will try and take it a little easier?" Jack looks at Jestine, he really hoped that some if it had gotten through to her.

Jestine lets out a huff but does not protest any further which Jack takes as a good sign.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jack asks as they both stand by the edge looking over the city.

"Not really, although I get the feeling you are going to make me." Jestine replies, honestly.

"You don't have to, but it could help. I know how hard it can be feeling like you've sent someone to their death, even if you know logically there was nothing you could have done." Jack tries to get her to open up to him.

Jestine shakes her head. "Look, while that bit sucked, I will get past it. Like I've said before, it isn't the first time I've sent someone to their death and I honestly doubt it'll be the last."

"I just hate what they all think of Tommy. He saved us all. He was so brave but everyone thinks he is a coward."

"We know he isn't." Jack tries to reassure Jestine.

"Doesn't matter what we think. He went down in history as a coward because he was affected by killing a man. They expected him to be some kind of monster that didn't care about ending someone's life." Jestine tells him, her voice filled with anger. Jack flinches slightly at the mention of monsters, it still reminded him of the night Ianto had called him one.

"Are we still talking about Tommy? Or did someone expect you to be a "monster" and kill someone without caring?" Jack carefully asks Jestine.

Jestine scoffs. "They didn't need to. Was already like that." She simply answers.

Jack makes sure to keep his face impassive, not wanting Jestine to think he was judging her, but every time she told him something about herself he almost wished she hadn't.

"Look, just because you killed someone once does not make you are monster." Jack tries to comfort the girl.

"It wasn't just once. And I know I'm a monster. My hands are covered in the blood of so many. How could I not be?" Jestine informs him.

"I doubt no matter how many people you have killed that you are a monster. Your actions show otherwise. If you were a monster you would have let the team die instead of risking your live to save them. You wouldn't have done all those amazing things with The Doctor if you were a monster." Jack tries to convince her, although he can sense it wasn't getting through to her.

"No point denying it. You were the one to call me it." She tells him.

Jack looks at her in shock. Even though he was sure that she was talking about a future him, he still couldn't believe that he would say that to her.

"Don't worry about it Jack. You were right, although I don't think even you realised just how much of a monster I am." Jestine shrugs.

"I'm sure you had perfectly good reasons for killing those people. That does not make you a monster. I doubt you have done anything bad enough to be considered a monster" Jack tries to convince Jestine while digesting the information she had just given him. He was disturbed not only by the fact that at some point he would call her that but also that she honestly seemed to believe it.

"Look, I appreciate the effort but I know I've done terrible things and that I am a monster."

"Oh come on. I'm sure I've done worse." Jack replies.

"No, you really haven't. I'm sure The Shadow Proclamation wouldn't be so caught up with catching me if I wasn't such a monster."

"The Shadow Proclamation!" Jack exclaims in shock. For The Shadow Proclamation to be after her it must be something serious. The Shadow Proclamation mostly busied itself with making sure that aliens stayed away from planets they weren't meant to go on and things like that. They rarely went after specific people, so what ever it was that Jestine had done must have been huge.

"Did you kill some one important or something?" He manages to ask after a few minutes.

"Something like that." Jestine shrugs.

Jack decides to push ahead with the conservation even though part of him was telling him it would be a bad idea.

"And what exactly do you mean by that.?" He asks.

Jestine looks at him for a moment, trying to decide what to tell him. "Well amongst other things, I had a few run-ins with a particular race and let's just say that they aren't going to taking things that aren't theirs anymore."

"No, you couldn't." Jack looks at her in shock.

"Yeah, like I said monster and all that." Jestine shrugs.

"Does The Doctor know?" Jack asks. Sure her Doctor wasn't the same as his but he still couldn't imagine that he would be happy what Jestine had done.

"Yeah. He was none too pleased about any of." Jestine informs Jack.

"That's it. He was none too pleased about it. I know he isn't my Doctor but still, I'm sure it would have been worse than him being none too pleased." Jack is surprised with Jestine's answer.

"Well yeah. He was quite a bit worse than none too pleased, especially when he found out what I did to that species. I don't think I've ever seen him that angry before." Jestine replies a little sadly. "But the worse bit was the disappointment. That he really thought I was better than that."

Jack looks at the girl sadly. He hadn't meant to make her upset. "At least you two have obviously moved passed it now. I doubt he would have come and visited you otherwise." Jack tries his best to comfort her.

"Yeah." Jestine shrugs. "We didn't speak for a long time before we got there. Almost thought that we wouldn't."

"That must have been tough for you." Jack sympathises with the girl. While what she had done was terrible, he knew what it was like to have no one there for you.

Jestine shrugs. "Well, yeah. I did deserve it. And it wasn't as if I was sober enough most of the time to be that aware of it."

Jack shakes his head sadly at the girl. He really wasn't sure what he should do with her.

"Anyway, if we are done with all the touchy feely stuff, it alright if I go and have some fun?" Jestine asks Jack.

Jack nods his head absently as a million thoughts whiz through his mind.

"See you later then." Jestine tells him before stepping back and then disappearing.

Jack stares at the empty space for a moment and then turns back for a final glance over Cardiff before he too departs.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack moans as Ianto gently massages his scalp. Prior to looking for Jestine Jack had sent the team home and was glad that he had taken up Ianto's invitation to join him. They had enjoyed a rare home cooked meal and Ianto was now helping Jack relax.

"I was thinking. Jestine could help me down in the archives. There are a number of artefacts that we don't know what they are that she may know and it might give her a chance to slow down a little." Ianto suggest as he plays with Jack's hair.

Jack thinks it over. "Could be a good idea. There is a lot down there that needs classification." He agrees.

"And she seems to like it down there so at least that should stop her arguing."

"Yeah, remind me to speak to her about that. She needs to learn if she is given an order then she needs to listen." Jack sighs. "The Doctor seems to have let her get away with everything and now she seems to think that's how it works here."

Ianto just nods in reply.

The two men sit in silence, each relishing the rare peaceful moment.

"This is nice. Just you and me. Just spending time together." Ianto comments.

"We really don't get enough of this time do we?" Jack asks sadly.

"It's not your fault. Torchwood has to come first." Ianto informs him, although he did wish that sometimes they could blow off saving the world and just have an uninterrupted day to themselves.

Jack sits up, although leans into Ianto. "I was thinking, once things settle down with Jestine, maybe we could find time for a holiday, just you and me, no Rift." Jack suggests.

Ianto is stunned. He never thought he would have Jack suggesting a holiday for the two of them. He smiles at the thought of the two of them on holiday. "I think that would be a wonderful idea, would be nice for a few days away from Torchwood."

"Would be nice to have a few days of you all to myself." Jack grins before pulling Ianto in for a kiss.

Ianto's hands weave through Jack's hair as he allows himself to melt into the kiss, letting Jack's smell and taste overwhelm him.

They only part when the need for air becomes too much.

"I think we should take this to the bedroom." Ianto pants out.

"Or we could do it right here." Jack suggests with a lecherous grin.

"We can't." Ianto objects.

"Why not?" Jack asks as he pushes Ianto back on the couch and straddles his lap.

"Jestine could come." Ianto argues.

"She's not here now and that's her problem." Jack answers as he slowly undoes Ianto's shirt buttons before sucking at the junction of his neck.

Ianto moans under the onslaught, struggling to keep coherent thought.

Jack smirks as he travels down to Ianto's right nipple, knowing he had won.

Ianto lets go of any thoughts and losses himself in the sensations, Jack's tongue doing wicked things to his right nipple while his hand started teasing his left.

Jack sits back to take in the vision of Ianto. He loved seeing Ianto so needy because of him.

He stares for a moment longer before undoing Ianto's pants, revealing deep red boxers.

Jack moans in appreciation, he had always said that red was Ianto's colour.

He pulls both pants and boxers down, allowing Ianto's cock to spring forth.

Ianto gasps as Jack deep throats him.

Jack pulls back, licking his way to the leaking tip.

"God Jack." Ianto moans.

Jack licks along the throbbing vein before drawing Ianto back into his mouth.

Ianto once again losses himself in the sensation, having no chance of resisting Jack's talented tongue.

Jack stokes Ianto's balls has he lavishes attention on his penis.

Suddenly Ianto's phone starts ringing from his discarded pants.

Ianto reluctantly pulls away from Jack, aware that it would almost certainly be a call he needs to take.

He sits up to take the call.

"Hello, Ianto speaking." He answers as he pushes Jack away who had decided he wanted to continue on.

"Hey Ianto. It's PC Andy. Sorry to disturb you so late but Jestine's gotten herself into some trouble and we didn't know who else to call." Andy answers apologetically.

Ianto groans, whether it was at the news or Jack once again deep throating him, he wasn't sure. But he was sure that while he loved Jack's blowjobs now was not the time.

He glares at Jack at he tries to focus on Andy.

"Is she ok?" Ianto barely suppresses another groan as Jack runs his teeth lightly along his length.

"Yeah, she seems fine. But she wouldn't tell the cops anything" Andy informs him.

"That's good." Ianto answers, unable to form much more of a sentence.

"Yeah it's good she isn't hurt. But she can't just get in trouble and then refuse to tell us anything. It's a good thing that I was on, the others wouldn't have known to contact you, probably would have contacted Torchwood directly." Andy informs him.

"Yeah, really good." Ianto moans as Jack continues his onslaught.

"You alright?" Andy asks, concerned about how Ianto had been sounding through out the phone call, maybe Jestine wasn't the only one getting into trouble.

"Yeah, yeah fine." Ianto glares down at Jack who just smirks back at him.

"What did she do?" He struggles to hold back another groan as Jack starts sucking on his right testicle.

"Maybe it would be better if I tell you when you get here. You seem a little distracted at the moment." Andy suggests.

"Yeah. Yeah, sounds good. We'll be there soon." Ianto hangs up.

Andy puts the phone back down shaking his head, unsure of what was going on with Ianto.

"Jack, can you not when I'm on the phone." Ianto tries to yell at Jack but it just turns into a moan as Jack steps up his assault on Ianto's senses.

Jack chuckles, loving that he was responsible for Ianto becoming so flustered he couldn't even have a simple phone call.

"We should go. Jestine is in trouble. At jail." Ianto pants out as he feels the pressure start to build up.

Jack sucks Ianto deeper and harder upon feeling the man's balls tighten up.

"Jack, Jack, Jack." Ianto moans as he comes, shooting into Jack's mouth.

Jack moans as Ianto's essence fills his mouth.

Ianto collapse boneless onto the couch as he comes back down from the high.

"Come on, time to get Jestine." Jack slaps Ianto's bare thigh lightly.

"I hate you sometimes you know that." Ianto groans as he gathers up his pants and boxers and does up his shirt.

Jack grins as he grabs both his and Ianto's shoes that had been left at the door.

"You don't really. You know you love me." He smirks.

"I don't know why sometimes." Ianto huffs.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So what exactly did Andy say?" Jack asks Ianto as they get into Ianto's car, Jack sulking slightly that he wasn't allowed to drive.

"He didn't say what she did, thought it would be better to tell us there as I seemed a bit distracted." Ianto glares at Jack.

"You should pay more attention when talking to contacts. It always helps to keep them on side." Jack smirks as he quotes Ianto from the many lectures he always received after talking calls from different agencies and government officials.

Ianto glares once more at Jack briefly before turning his attention back on the road.

"He would have told us if it was something really bad right?" Jack turns serious, worried that maybe he should have done something after what Jestine had told him.

"I'm sure it's nothing. This is Jestine we are talking about. She probably just went a little bit out of control, pushed a boundary she wasn't meant to. She doesn't exactly know when to pull back sometimes." Ianto tries to sooth Jack, not sure why Jack seemed so worried.

It wasn't as if Jestine was the first employee that Jack would have bailed out of jail. Ianto know for a fact that in the early months of Owen's employment that Jack often had to bail the Englishman out for bar fights and public drunkenness.

Jack sighs. "I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?" Ianto asks.

"Today, after I found her we talked. She didn't say it out right but I'm pretty sure she killed an entire race of aliens." Jack confides in Ianto.

Ianto stares straight ahead, trying to process what Jack had just said, sure he knew that Jestine had killed in the past and even in the time that she had been at Torchwood but he couldn't quite comprehend her killing a whole species. "Did she say why?" He asks after a long few minutes.

"Not specifically, but she said that she had had a few run-ins with them." Jack repeats what he had been told.

"Look, I'm sure she hasn't done anything like that now." Ianto tries to comfort Jack.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Andy meets Jack and Ianto as they entre the police station.

"Hi Ianto. Jack, wasn't expecting you too. Didn't want to get Jestine in trouble with her boss but I guess its too late for that." Andy greets them.

"I doubt Ianto would have let me rummage around his place while he came and got Jestine." Jack tells Andy.

"What did she do?" Ianto asks, trying to get the conservation back on track.

"Sorry for not telling you sooner but you seemed a bit um distracted." Andy apologises uncomfortably as he now guesses at Ianto's reason for being so distracted.

Ianto sends Jack a warning glare before for he can say anything. "That's fine Andy."

"Yeah well. Andy shifts from foot to foot. "There was a massive fight at one of the clubs. Turned out, while Jestine was the instigator of it, she was really going for it."

Jack and Ianto share a look. After what Jack had been told about some of Jestine's missions and things Ianto had seen, they were quite worried about the other people.

"What happened to the other people? Are they ok?" Ianto asks worried.

"Mostly, had to send a couple to hospital, broken noses and such but no one too hurt." Andy informs them.

They both sigh with relief, at least she hadn't done too much damage. They would just have to have a word with her.

"Well that's ok then. Do we need to do anything before we grab her?" Jack asks.

Andy sighs. "That wasn't the only thing that happened tonight. If it had been, we probably wouldn't have even bothered locking her up, what with her being Torchwood and all the help she had been to us."

"What else happened?" Ianto asks, worried.

"Earlier she had gotten into another incident." Andy informs them.

Jack and Ianto both indicate for him to continue his explanation.

It seems that earlier on, she um, "hooked up" with a guy."

"But it turned out that he had a girlfriend who was also at the club. She had gone out for a smoke and caught the two of them in a um, compromising position."

"Seems the girl started yelling and threatening Jestine. At which point Jestine apparently mutter something that neither the guy or girl understood, although still seemed to upset the girl."

"This other girl then tried to hit Jestine. Which then resulted with Jestine punching her." Andy explains.

"Bystanders called us but when a unit got there, she was no where to be seen." Andy tells them.

"They are going to charge her with lewd behaviour in public, being drunk in a public place, being a public menace, assault, leaving the scene of a crime and resisting arrest." Andy informs them. "But I did manage to get them to drop a charge of prostitution."

Jack and Ianto both look at each other in worried. Jestine had really gotten herself into a lot of trouble and while they would probably be able to get her out of everything, they would need to have a word with her when they got home.

"And her refusing to cooperate really doesn't help. ." Andy sighs.

He knew what Jestine had done was wrong and he was angry that she would do such stupid things but that didn't mean that he wanted her to go to jail.

She had been more helpful to the police than any of the others at Torchwood, even Gwen.

Although she hadn't told them anything specifically, she at least treated them with respect and would let them know the outcome of cases when she could.

Jack and Ianto share a look. They didn't want Jestine to spending a few years in jail, she was needed in the team and they both knew it wouldn't do her any good.

But they also didn't want to be abusing their power, that Jestine should be punished for what she did.

"Look, I don't know what happened, but she needs help." Andy tells them as he leads them to Jestine.

Jack and Ianto share a surprised look that Andy catches.

"It's not half obvious that something bad has happened to her recently. And while she may be Torchwood and as the police I should hate her, she has been good to us and she doesn't deserve what ever it is that caused her to do this." Andy tells them before stopping in front of a cell.

"Hey Jestine, Jack and Ianto are here to see you. I'll let you three talk, just call out when you are ready to leave." Andy opens the cell and then goes.

Jack and Ianto are shocked when they see Jestine.

Instead of the normal slightly short and tight but still tasteful shorts or jeans and fitted t-shirts that they were used to seeing, Jestine had on a tiny skirt that barely covered her and a tight revealing singlet that barely seemed worth wearing. Along with her ridiculously high stilettos, it was little wonder that the police had thought her to be a prostitute.

"What happened?" Ianto asks as he sits down on the bench next to her with Jack on the other side.

Jestine just shrugs.

"Jestine you need to talk to us. You are looking at some serious charges that could result in lengthy jail time. We want to help but can't if you don't tell us what happened." Jack tells the girl.

"Nothing happened. Just got into a fight or so. Its nothing. Done a million times worse things before." She shrugs, switching to English.

"It's not nothing. You could be facing jail time." Ianto explains to her.

Jestine shrugs again. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"Jestine you need to listen to us. This is not like when you were with The Doctor. There are rules and breaking them has consequences. You can't just get into fights and then leave." Jack tells her, he was really starting to get annoyed at

"You didn't have a problem when Owen was always going out and getting into bar fights when you first hired him." Jestine tells him.

"How do you know?" Jack asks and then changes his mind. "You know what, it doesn't matter how you know. It also doesn't matter how what happened with Owen. We are talking about you not him."

"So are you going to just leave me here?" Jestine asks. Jack can almost swear he hears a slight hitch in her voice.

"No, we will take you home. But we will talk about this." Ianto warns her.

Jestine nods.

"I'll just go find Andy and get everything sorted for you to be released." Ianto tells them before he leaves them in the cell.

"Jestine can you please just let us in. Let us help you." Jack pleads with the girl as they wait.

"I don't need your help." She tells him forcefully.

"Well you clearly need some help. Look you don't need to talk to us but please you need to do something other than going out and getting into fights." Jack tries to convince the girl.

"I didn't go out looking for the fight. Trust me I would never purposely get into a fight on earth. At least not for another few centuries. Just wouldn't be fair to them." Jestine tries to reassure Jack, although it doesn't really work.

Jack shakes his head, unsure of how to react to her. "Look just try and keep out of trouble please. If someone says something just walk away, don't aggravate the situation."

Jestine sighs. "Yeah, I know. I know I should have just walked away."

"So why didn't you?" Jack hopes that she might open up at least a little to him.

"I don't know. I just didn't think. I was just so angry and I just lashed out." Jestine tells him.

"The first time, was it because she interrupted you?" He probes her.

"No, well a little but not really, just angry at everything really. Tommy never got to experience anything and the best thing he had ever done in his life, he never knew. He died thinking he was worthless and a coward. And I let him down. He trusted me, and I just let him go to his death, just stood there and watched him die." She tells him.

Jack nods in understanding, Jestine had just led him to the heart of her problem.

"And you thought that going out, getting drunk, "hooking up" with strangers and getting into fights will make you feel better?" Jack asks rhetorically.

"I just didn't want to have to think about it. I didn't want to be reminded of how I let down someone else, how I always let everyone down." Jestine confesses.

Before Jack has a chance to asks her anything further though, Andy and Ianto come back.

"You're free to go. All the charges are going to be dropped but don't make a habit of it. Just get help Jestine. As much as I enjoy speaking to you, I would rather that you didn't get arrested." Andy tells Jestine.

"Thanks Andy." Jestine gives a small smile as she leaves the cell.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The ride home was silent. Jestine was busy brooding, Jack thinking about everything Jestine had and hadn't told him while Ianto was wondering how they could help Jestine but also punish her.

Jestine makes straight for her room when they get back up to the apartment.

"Wait a second." Ianto stops her before she could disappear into her room.

"Yeah?" Jestine asks.

"We need to talk." Ianto tells her.

"Seriously, nothing good ever follows the words "we need to talk"." Jestine complains.

"Tough." Jack tells her forcefully.

Ianto indicates for them to sit at the table.

"So whats up?" Jestine asks as she takes a seat.

"We want to talk to you about tonight. What happened?" Ianto asks concerned, he didn't want to see Jestine throw away her life by doing stupid things like she had tonight.

Jestine huffs. "I know Andy already told you. I was having some fun, turned out he had a girlfriend, she caught us and decided to try and punch me. I ducked and punched her. Actually she should be grateful all I did was punched her."

Ianto lets out a sigh, Jestine's attitude was really starting to get on his nerve.

"You shouldn't have even hit her. That is not how things work." Jack tells her as he gives Ianto's hand a squeeze to try and sooth him.

Ianto shoots Jack a grateful smile.

"What did you say to her to make her try and hit her?" Jack asks.

Jestine rolls her eyes. "She didn't even know what I said. She was just bat shit crazy."

"What did you say?" Jack asks again.

"I actually said "of course he has a fucking girlfriend, the prick." Jestine answers.

"Am I right in assuming its not a language from earth?" Jack asks her.

"Yeah, but doesn't matter, not like she would have known." Jestine gets defensive.

"It doesn't matter." Ianto sighs, how did any parent survive if this was the kind of thing they had to put up with? "What does is that you got into not one but two fights tonight. We do not accept that kind of behaviour here, and really I doubt The Doctor would accept it either."

Jestine nods her head in acceptance.

"Then why did you do it?" Jack asks.

Jestine goes to shrug but then stops herself. "I don't know. I just wasn't thinking. It was easier to just react and not have to think about the consequences. I really am sorry for what I did. All I wanted to do was to have some fun and maybe forget for a few hours."

Jack sighs. He really had no idea what to do with Jestine. "The thing is Jestine, I'm not sure if I can have you on the team if you are going to behave like this. I need to know you aren't going to be a risk to your teammates but also to the public. And I'm just not sure if you are able to behave in a safe and responsible manner."

Jestine looks at Jack, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.

"Please Jack don't send me away. Please I will do anything, I promise, just don't send me away, not again." Jestine begs almost hysterically.

"Hey, hey, it's ok, calm down. I'm not going to send you away." Jack tries to calm down the girl while puzzling over her behaviour.

"But, but you just said." Jestine points out.

"No, I said that I wasn't sure if I could have you on the team if you continue to get into trouble. And even then I wouldn't send you away. You would just have to look into other employment opportunities, or if you wanted you could go, but I will not send you away." Jack tries to reassure her.

"Jestine, no matter what happens we wouldn't ever send you away. Torchwood is family and you are apart of that, no matter what happens, even if in the end you work else where." Ianto adds.

Jestine looks at Ianto. "Really, you consider me family?"

"Yes. We are all family, albeit an odd one, but a family no less and nothing will ever change that ok. But what does need to change is your behaviour."

"Yeah, I will, I will do anything you want." Jestine shakes her head almost violently.

"Look, how about you take a sleeping tablet and get some rest. I'm sure it's been a tough few months for you." Jack suggests.

"About as tough as it has been for the others." Jestine replies.

"I'm talking about the months you spent in 1918." Jack tells her.

"How did you know?" Jestine asks him.

"Because I know you cared about Tommy and you wouldn't just leave him to die. That even if you couldn't save him you would still be there for him as much as possible. Something a monster certainly wouldn't do." Jack tells her.

Jestine scoffs. "It was nothing really, I owed him." And she leaves.

"Monster?" Ianto asks.

"Long story but basically she thinks she is a monster because she killed people without caring and because I told her that at some point in my future." Jack explains briefly.

Ianto nods as he thinks back to the last time he had heard someone be referred to as a monster. "You know you aren't a monster right. What I said that night. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it, I was just so upset and angry." Ianto apologies.

"It's alright, I think we both said and did things that night that we regret." Jack strokes Ianto's check before pressing his lips against Ianto.

The kiss is chaste but full of forgiveness and understanding.

"Did I ever tell you I love you?" Ianto smiles at Jack when they break apart.

"You did, but I will never tire of hearing it." Jack grins.

"Well I love you." Ianto tells him before pulling him in for another kiss.

"I think it's time for bed, it's been a long day for all of us."

Jack happily agreed.

**Thank you so much for your support over the thirty chapters. I know it has taken me so long, but I really do appreciate it all so much, so please continue the support with a review**


	31. Chapter 31

**Sorry for once again having such a long delay between updates. Things got intense with uni, everything seemed to be due in at once. Just to let you know, I have made a few small changes to chapters 5, 7, 14 and 15. 5 and 7 was just changing the story of how Jestine and John met and everything, it was mainly just to get it to make more sense. 14 and 15 were about Jestine's past with The Doctor. It was largely to make it more in line with cannon, that Amy and Rory weren't aboard the TARDIS at that point. Let me know what you think of the changes. Thank you once again to everyone who has read/alerted/favourited/reviewed. Especially to those who review. I just love reading what you pick up in the story. There have been chapters where I had focused on a particular thing, and then someone points out something that I hadn't even been aware of. It is amazing to find out how other people see the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, although I did catch a 3½ kg salmon today, so maybe we could do a trade?**

"Where is everyone?" Gwen asks as she comes in, late once again.

"Working like you should have been an hour ago." Jack answers from Tosh's desk where he had been discussing a report.

"It wasn't my fault. Rhys had the morning off and you were the one who told me to not let my life outside of Torchwood slide." Gwen flutters her eyelids at Jack.

"Not good enough Gwen, do you think none of us want to spend more time with our loved ones? If you want time off, you get organised vacation time, not just come in late when you feel like it." Jack tells her before heading into his office.

"What's wrong with him?" Gwen asks Tosh grumpily, not used to Jack being so short with her.

"Him and Teaboy must have had a lovers tiff." Owen tells Gwen as he comes up from the autopsy bay.

"Owen." Tosh chides.

"What?" Owen asks innocently.

"Don't spread rumours about your co-workers." She scowls at them.

"Oh, come on, its true." Owen replies. "How else would you explain that Ianto has only come up once to give us coffee and spent the rest of the morning in the archives with Jestine while Jack's been sulking and moody all morning."

Gwen listens carefully to what Owen is saying.

"I better go see Jack. Make sure he is ok. He must have found out about Jestine and Ianto." Gwen tells them as she makes a move to Jack's office.

"What about Ianto and Jestine?" Tosh asks Gwen in confusion.

"Jestine and Ianto are having an affair." Gwen rolls her eyes at her co-workers, how could they not see, it was so obvious. How did Torchwood ever crack anything before she got here with their level of observation?

Owen burst out laughing while Tosh tries to smother her own laugher.

"You aren't serious are you?" Owen asks once he manages to stop laughing.

Gwen glares at him for laughing at her, just because they couldn't see what was right in front of them doesn't mean they should laugh at her.

"Come on, you can't tell me you have never noticed. All their whispered conservations. All the time they spend together and the fact that they live together." Gwen confidently tells them.

Tosh shakes her head at Gwen's assumption. "I don't know where you have gotten that idea from but Jestine and Ianto are not having an affair."

"Look just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't true." Gwen argues, annoyed at Tosh dismissing her idea. She thought she was so smart just because she was good with technology, but she knew nothing about people, where Gwen, as the heart of Torchwood knew.

"Seriously Gwen, you should just stop before you make yourself look like more of an idiot. Jestine and Ianto spend so much time together 'cause they are the only ones who do anything in the archives. Ianto suggested Jestine live with him as he could keep an eye on her when she first joined and 'cause she had no where else to go. You can just forget your stupid theory now as its wrong." Owen tells Gwen.

"Like Owen said there is nothing going on between Jestine and Ianto. Ianto would never cheat on Jack like that. He loves him too much and when he is in a relationship he would never sleep with someone else. Ianto values those he loves more than that." Tosh explains nicer than Owen, although she can't help but make a dig at Gwen's affair with Owen. It was only fair, here she was accusing someone of doing the exact thing she herself had done when she claimed to be so human and moral.

Gwen looks at the both of them in annoyance but before she can say anything Jack comes bounding out of his office.

"Call out." He tells them. "Owen, Gwen and Ianto with me. Tosh you can monitor from here and Ianto tell Jestine she can continue sorting out the artefacts." Jack obviously had turned on his coms for Ianto to hear. "Oh and Tosh, can you get Jestine her own coms, I'm sick of not being able to contact her."

"We gave her one when she joined. She refuses to use it, something about not wanting to be an easy target to be converted." Tosh explains.

"Did she explain what she meant by that?" Jack asks. It was an odd statement, and he couldn't think what Jestine would mean by it.

"In the parallel universe the Cybermen used the devices to control the people, make them walk into the conversion tables like mindless sheep." Jestine explains as she appears from no where. "And that's how they got their first victims at Canary Wharf. And why can't I come?"

"For fucks sake, can you not do that?" Owen mutters as he gets over the shock of the girl suddenly appearing.

"Whats wrong, did I scare you?" Jestine teases Owen.

Jack looks at Jestine. He had no idea how she would know the information she had shared, he certainly hadn't been aware of that technique being used at Canary Wharf. "When we finish with this you are going to explain what you said. But till then you are staying here. There is still a lot of work needed to be done in the archives, and it could do you some good to be away from other people, especially after last night."

"Seriously." Jestine huffs but doesn't argue for once.

"Right lets go." Jack orders them once Ianto has joined them.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What happened last night?" Gwen asks as they pile into the SUV, annoyed that Ianto had taken the front passenger seat when clearly it was her that Jack would want sitting up there with him.

Ianto lets out a sigh while Jack shakes his head.

"Do not want to talk about it." Jack mutters.

"So that's the reason for him being grumpy all morning?" Owen asks, motioning to Jack.

"We are not going to talk about it." Jack orders.

Ianto sighs, knowing that none of them are going to back down.

"Jestine is grieving Tommy and well her style of grieving involves getting into fights and sleeping around." Ianto explains.

"Should she really be at Torchwood then? I mean if she is getting into fights, isn't she dangerous, and we are here to protect people, not attack them." Gwen argues.

"She is not dangerous; she is just going through a rough patch. We have spoken to her and she has promised that she try and stay out of trouble." Ianto reassures Gwen.

Gwen huffs, not believing Ianto.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"How are you?" Tosh asks Jestine as she passes her a coffee.

Jestine looks at her, as if debating on what to say. She sighs. "Look I won't lie, I'm not 100 per cent but I'm getting there. I will get past it." She replies honestly.

"Just so you know you can talk to me about it anytime you want." Tosh offers, although she doubts that Jestine will take up the offer.

Jestine looks surprised at the offer. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Tosh asks.

"Why would you be willing to listen to me and my problems?" Jestine explains. "Why would you want to help me? I've never done anything for you. I lied to you, made you think I was someone I wasn't. I made you look bad, that you couldn't tell that the information on me was fake. You should hate me not want to help me."

Tosh looks at Jestine in shock. Was that really how the girl thought Tosh saw her? "I don't hate you. Don't think I ever could. I know you didn't make the information to make me look bad, you were doing to protect yourself. I don't blame you for doing that."

"And you saved us that night. If it weren't for you, who knows what would have happened. And even if you hadn't done anything I would still be here for you. That's what friends are for." Tosh tries to reassure the girl.

"Friends? You consider us friends?" Jestine asks, not seeming to believe it.

"Yeah, don't you?"

"I never really thought about it." Jestine confesses. "I thought once you had found out I lied that you wouldn't want to be my friend, that you wouldn't want anything to do with me, like everyone else."

"Oh, Jestine, just because you lied doesn't mean we wouldn't want to be friends with you. Everyone lies to others at one point or another. Its one of those things that makes us humans. If people stop being friends with someone just because they lied, everyone would be all alone."

"And we didn't stop talking to you or treat you all that different after we found out, did we?" It makes Tosh sad to think that for all her bravado, that deep down, Jestine was clearly so insecure about people rejecting her.

"Well, yeah, I guess not." Jestine agrees. "I just, I guess I thought that you were just being nice and all. Not that you would actually consider me a friend."

"Well I do, and any time you want to talk to me about anything, you can. The same goes for the others to. We are all your friends here."

"I don't think Gwen considers me a friend." Jestine counters.

"Give her time and she will get there. You are just a bit much for her to handle. You are just a little different from the people she is used to." Tosh tries to reassure Jestine, although really she wasn't sure that the two would be able to settle their differences. Even when Jestine first started, there was tension between the two.

"No-one else seems to act the same." Jestine comments.

"Gwen is different from us. She still sometimes has problems getting use to things that are different from what she considers normal."

"Why is it that no one else seems to have that problem?" Jestine asks.

Tosh shrugs. "I think because Gwen was thrown in the deep end straight away. She remembered what happened and then had a job here. The rest of us had time to process it all." Tosh suggest.

"Yeah, maybe." Jestine agrees before heading back to the archives.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So whats up?" Jestine asks as the team returns.

"Need to do some testing, but seems there is some dodgy meat in Cardiff." Owen tells her as he makes his way to the autopsy bay to start.

"Something wrong?" Jestine asks as she notices Gwen was being unusually quiet.

"Other than you, nothing." Gwen answers before heading to her desk and ignoring the rest of the team.

"What was that?" Jestine asks Ianto.

"The lorry the meat was being transported in is from Rhys' company." He explains as he moves to make coffee.

"So?" Jestine asks.

"For her the thought of Rhys being involved in this is upsetting." Tosh explains.

"Why?" Jestine doesn't seem to understand.

"Most people live within moral boundaries. Whatever is happening here is outside those boundaries." Jack explains to Jestine. "Everyone likes to see the best in their love ones and expect them to also live within these moral boundaries and being faced with evidence that this isn't the case can cause people to become upset."

"Ok." Jestine still looks a little confused but nods her understanding.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"There is evidence of a vertebral column but its genetic makeup isn't compatible with any known animal." Owen explains as he moves around.

"Any idea what it is?" Jack asks.

"Have to scan it. But whoever's farming this meat knows it's dodgy."

He then holds up the label.

"You see this? Official vet stamp, "Fit for human consumption." It's fake. It's good, but it's fake."

Jack nods as he walks past Gwen and towards Toshiko and Ianto who are standing by the computers.

"Tosh, get on to the haulage firm. Find out where that meat is from and where  
it's heading." He orders as Gwen follows him.

Why does it have to be Rhys' firm? It's a bit too close to home." She tells Jack quietly.

Jack nods in understanding. "You want to stand down?"

"No! I want to find out what's going on." Gwen tells him determinedly.

The team gathers around Tosh's monitors as they wait for the Harwood's advert to finish.

Gwen stifles a smile as they listen, proud of Rhys.

"Catchy." Ianto comments.

"Do you think the haulage firm might be in on it, too?" Tosh asks.

"Rhys? No! He doesn't know what goes in the vans, he just hires them out." Gwen immediately jumps in to defend Rhys.

"Driver must have seen it loaded." Ianto adds.

"That doesn't implicate Rhys. He's the most honest man I know." Gwen hates that Ianto would even suggest such a thing.

"Have you got his direct line?" Tosh asks, hoping to actually get somewhere with this investigation.

Gwen gets out her phone to give Tosh the number.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The team sit around as Tosh speaks on the phone. 

"Hello. Yeah, speaking. Yes, I'm aware of the accident." Rhys' voice comes out through the over head speakers.

"It's a firm called Harris & Harris. They came to us about two months back. It's a weekly contract." Rhys explains as Ianto writes down a note.

"Are they licensed?" Tosh asks.

"Yeah, of course they're licensed!" Rhys sounds insulted that they would even suggest that the company would work with someone who wasn't.

"Could you give me their address?" Tosh asks.

They can hear Rhys flicking through paper, obviously looking through the logs.

They then hear him whisper to Ruth. "There's no address down here."

"There's a pickup point. They said it was hard to find." They hear Ruth tell Rhys.

Ianto hands the folded note up to Jack who looks at it.

"No, sorry, all I've got is a service station on the A470, 15 miles from Cardiff." Rhys answers.

"Do you have their contact number?"

Rhys once again checks the logs.

"No, there's no contact number either." He admits.

"Can you tell me where your driver took the meat?" Tosh tries to not get too frustrated at the lack of information that Rhys was providing.

Jack passes the note onto Tosh.

"Yes, he was taking it to Caerwen Abattoir. It's a processing plant, just, uh gen—a gen - general meat suppliers." Rhys replies, relieved that he was able to give them some information.

"What time did the driver leave base?" She asks.

He checks the logs. "Uh, signed out at 10 to 1:00. Can I ask, what's this about?"

"I can't release that information, sir. Thanks for your cooperation." Tosh replies.

"Yeah, but I'm the manager of" Rhys starts to tell her but is cut off by the line disconnecting.

Jestine looks at the rest of the team. "Well that was helpful."

Gwen glares at her. "Rhys isn't in on it."

"Look I'm not saying he is, although it sounds like he or someone is hiding something." Jestine backs down.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The team have spread out on different tasks. Ianto is checking the traffic cams.

"Got him!" Ianto exclaims as he finds the van. The team turn around to watch him watch the monitor.

"There he is, coming back 40 minutes later." Ianto explains as he stops the monitor.

"Let's say it takes 20 minutes to load. We are talking a 10-mile radius." Ianto works out for them. Before anyone can comment though, Owen calls out to Jack.

They head to the autopsy area. 

"Scan shows it's definitely alien meat." Owen confirms.

Jack sighs. "Where the hell would they get it from?"

"If it's going into the processing plant, that means it's going into pies, burgers, pasties everything." Tosh says.

"That means people have been eating it for months." Gwen concludes disgusted.

Owen runs up the stairs to show them the readings projected onto the wall from the monitor.

"Well, the DNA traces are stable. There are some signs of animal sedative, but no detectable diseases or residues. My guess is, it's good to eat."

"Would you eat it?" Gwen asks, disgusted.

Jestine shrugs. "On some planets it may be considered a delicacy. Some species would ask you the same about cows."

Gwen frowns, never having considered it that way.

Ianto interrupts the conservation.

"Pizza's arrived, presumed it would be a late one."

Owen sighs. "What'd you get me?"

"Usual - meat feast." Ianto replies.

"Lovely." Owen mutters sarcastically, as he stares at the slab of meat on the autopsy table.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The team sit eating the pizza as Ianto paces and shares his findings. Owen picks at his pizza, taking off the pepperoni and other meat. Tosh sits next to him, feeling a little sick at the knowledge that it could be alien meat.

"I've narrowed it down to three potential areas - only one warehouse is unoccupied. It's just outside Merthyr." Ianto tells them.

"Makes sense - who knows what goes on there?" Owen shrugs as he watches in disgust at Jestine happily eating away at her own Meat Feast.

"We've got to shut the operation down, neutralize whoever is doing this, and  
identify the alien meat." Jack orders as Gwen's phone jingles.

She quickly reads "Can I see you?" as Jack continues. "Tosh you can coordinate."

"I have to slip home and check on Rhys first." Gwen tells him.

Jack nods. "Good idea. Find out how much he knows."

Gwen looks at Jack angrily, how could he assume that Rhys would know anything about it.

"That's not what I meant." Gwen tells him before she storms out. 

Jack shrugs at the team continues on eating.

"How can you eat that knowing that it could have come from an alien?" Owen asks Jestine in disgust.

Jestine shrugs. "Simple, it probably isn't any different from eating cow, anyway, not like it would be the first time I've eaten alien."

"You've eaten alien before?" Tosh asks. "What was it like?"

"He seemed to like it." Jestine smirks.

"God, you are almost as bad as Harkness." Owen moans as he throws down the piece that he had been eating. "No way could anyone eat with you around. I'm going to see if I can find out anything else about the meat."

Jestine grins as Owen storms out.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack waits impatiently for Gwen.

"So tell me again why I have to stay behind while you spend forever waiting for Gwen?" Jestine asks as she suddenly appears next to Jack.

"You really should stop doing that, someone is going to shot you one day for sneaking up on them." Jack deflects from the question.

Jestine shrugs. "Wouldn't be the first time. And you didn't answer my question."

"I told you before, I don't want you on the field for at least a few days unless you have to be. The last thing we need is for you to go in and get violent. And what you were you doing to be shot in the past?" Jack won't let Jestine's off the cuff comment go.

"I really don't think it would be better, if you were taking me instead of Gwen you would be gone already." Jestine argues back. "And I have invaluable experience in this kind of thing."

"Tough, I said you aren't coming do you aren't." Jack grits his teeth, he really wished that Jestine and other members of the team would stop arguing against his orders. "And you didn't answer my question."

"What would that have been?" Jestine asks innocently, obviously stalling for time.

"What were you doing to be shot in the past?"

"Which time?" Jestine asks.

Before Jack can respond, Tosh calls out to inform him that she had just seen Gwen on the plaza.

"We are going to talk about this later." Jack warns Jestine before he gets on the invisible lift.

"Yeah right." Jestine replies as she watches him rise up.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Rhys watches from the car as Gwen walks along the plaza.

He felt sick to the gut that he was doing this but he needed answers. Ever since this Torchwood group, their relationship just wasn't the same. Maybe he was to blame but Gwen just didn't seem to confide in him as much. He knew nothing about what she actually did, and she didn't even know that he knew that she worked for Torchwood, whatever it was that they did.

He rubs his eyes, sure they weren't deceiving him. He thought he had just seen a man appearing from nowhere.

He watches as Gwen walks right up to him without seeming at all concerned about his sudden appearance.

He watches as Gwen gives the man's hand a squeeze before they walk away from the water tower.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Like I thought - he has no idea what's going on." Gwen tells Jack ass he steps off the invisible lift.

Jack nods. "Fine. We are going to the slaughterhouse now, if you aren't too busy."

Gwen glares for a moment before squeezing his hand to show that she wasn't really mad at him and that she knew he didn't mean it, he just couldn't look like he was playing favouritism.

Jack quickly extracts his hand from Gwen. He really didn't want to continue with this game they seemed to be playing. While he acknowledged he was to blame for leading her on in the past, he did not want that now. He loved Ianto and wouldn't even think of doing anything that would jeopardize what they had.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What happened?" Jestine asks as the team return from the mission.

Gwen storms to her desk without speaking. She quickly grabs her stuff and storms out.

"Seems Rhys knew more than he was letting on." Owen tells her as he moves over to Tosh's desk. "Guess those two have some serious issues to talk about."

"Too many secrets and lies. Breaks relationships." Ianto comments as he moves to the coffee machine.

"Glad we are honest with each other." Tosh tells Owen as he kisses her on the head.

Owen nods in agreement.

"Well, this is unprecedented, a fiancé finding out." Ianto tells them as he hands out the drink.

"In the history of Torchwood, how many agents do you think would have had relationships with outsiders?" Jestine asks.

"Good point. It is easier having someone who knows what is going on and that you don't have to lie to." Tosh aggress.

Ianto nods in agreement as he watches Jack in the hothouse.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

The team looks up from their various tasks as they hear the invisible lift come down.

"Wow!" They hear Rhys exclaim as he and Gwen chuckle.

"Who could've thought this was here?" Rhys looks around, amazed at what he was seeing. He laughs as the pterodactyl screeches and soars above his head.

"That looked so real."

"It was real." Gwen tells him.

"They're extinct, Gwen."

"In your timeline, yes." Jack walks up to greet them. He shakes Rhys' hand.

"Captain Jack Harkness. Thanks for dropping in, Rhys."

Gwen steps off the block, and introduces the team.

"This is the rest of the team - Owen and Toshiko, and you know Ianto." She looks around. "Jestine is also around somewhere. Probably starting another fight or something." Gwen mutters the last part.

"Pleased to meet you." Rhys greets the rest of the team.

"How do you know Ianto?" Jack asks.

"Gwen here dragged him along to dinner at our place when you had nicked off. Needed some meat on his bones." Rhys answers.

Jack looks at Ianto sadly. He knew he did the wrong thing with running off with The Doctor without so much as a note to the team. It hurt to realise that he had caused Ianto so much pain. He promised himself that he would do everything in his power to assure that he never hurt the gorgeous Welshman again.

"Hey Jack, you will never guess what I found while I was in the archives." Jestine breaks the moment.

Rhys looks at Jestine in surprise. He swore she wasn't there a second ago.

"Do you have another one of those lifts in here?" Rhys asks Gwen.

"No." Gwen shakes her head.

"But, she just appeared out of nowhere. That's not possible." Rhys replies.

"Hello, and who are you?" Jestine asks as she notices Rhys.

"I'm Rhys." Rhys introduces himself, his manners overriding his confusion.

"Wow, so you are Gwen's Rhys. Nice to be able to put a face to the name. And I must say, it is a very handsome face. I can see why Gwen has been hiding you from us. You can call me Jestine" Jestine greets Rhys.

Rhys grins at Jestine while Gwen glares at her.

"So what do we owe the pleasure of having you visit our humble abode? And I must say, it is certainly a pleasure." Jestine asks Rhys.

"Gwen tells me you catch aliens." Rhys replies as he smiles at Jestine, liking her already.

"Sure do." Jestine replies.

"There's a rift through space and time that runs through Cardiff, Rhys, and stuff slips through it from other timelines and planets and it's our job to monitor it." Owen explains.

"You sure they're not some weird kind of cult?" Rhys mutters to Gwen as he steps off the block.

Gwen rolls her eyes good naturally. "You saw that alien in the warehouse." She nudges him. "Go on."

"You saw the alien?" Jestine asks.

"Yeah." Rhys replies, a little proud of himself.

"What was it like? How big was it? Did it have any indentifying features?" Jestine bombards Rhys with questions.

"Hold it a second; give him a chance to answer." Jack cuts off any other questions Jestine may have. "Rhys could you just try and explain in as much detail as possible what you saw."

"Uh, it was like this huge, shapeless beast filling the space, like a mound of flesh." Rhys tries to remember everything he saw, although he was still reeling from all of Jestine's question.

"So it's one massive entity, as opposed to several organisms?" Tosh asks.

Gwen nods.

"The latest tests reveal high levels of chloride, so it probably lives in the water. I reckon it came through the rift into the sea, and it's beached itself." Owen concludes.

"Like a giant alien manatee." Jack comments to which Owen nods.

"But how did they get it there? That warehouse must be fifty meters long." Ianto asks.

"Um ... maybe it was smaller when they found it, because they said it's growing." Rhys shrugs, it o=hadn't been something he had even thought of, although he had been preoccupied with finding out about aliens and everything.

"Shit, you mean it's not dead?" Jestine asks surprised.

"No, it's breathing. Its eye opened." Rhys shudders at the reminder of the gut-turning scene.

"So the protein chains are regenerating despite the mutilation, so not only is it replenishing its own flesh, but it's increasing it, giving them a brand-new meat supply." Owen summarises.

"It would last them for years, then."

"If we understood how it worked, we could feed the world." Tosh just thinks of the amazing possibilities.

"We could release a single ..." Ianto quips.

Jack glares at Ianto for a moment before interrupting. "We're talking about dodgy pies and Merthyr, okay? And the fact that they're cutting it up alive" He points to Rhys "Which we could've put a stop to already, if it wasn't for you."

"I thought my fiancée was in danger." Rhys counters.

"Hey." Jestine interrupts before Jack can reply. "Look Rhys, as much as any women would love for you to be their prince in shinning amour and save them, Gwen is capable of looking after herself. And Jack wouldn't let anything happen to her or anyone else in the team." Jestine tries to calm down the situation.

Rhys snorts. "I heard about your accident. Why didn't he protect you then if he is so good at protecting his team?" Rhys argues.

"That was different. That was my own fault." Jestine replies.

"It doesn't matter." Jack fumes. "All you did tonight was mess things up. Now, we have to think of a way to get back in. And thanks to you, they'll have tightened security!"

"Well, if you stopped and asked me exactly what I saw in there, instead of showing off round the place –" Rhys starts to rant.

Jack turns to Ianto. "Do I show off?"

"Just a bit." Ianto replies.

"You'd know that I got out by telling them I wanted a job as a delivery boy. So rather than cock things up, I found you a way to get in!" Rhys gets in Jack's face. "But if you can't handle that, big boy, then you can stuff it!"

"This is quite homoerotic." Jack grins at Gwen as Jestine mutters "Men."

"No, no, no, no, Jack. He is not getting us in." Gwen glares at Jack.

"Team meeting." Jack tells them before turning to Rhys. "You too!"

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

A blueprint of the warehouse has been spread out on the conference table. Rhys is standing and pointing out various places as the team looks on.

"That's where the thing is, that's the sedatives room, that's where they hang and pack all the meat."

Owen nods. "That's good to know."

"Yes, that's good to know, but he is not driving us in." Gwen glares at them all.

"They're expecting me. You lot can hide in the back of the van." Rhys argues.

"What is this, "Scooby-Doo"? Absolutely no way is he getting involved." Gwen counters.

"Oh, where was I when you decided to get involved? Did you give me a second thought?" Rhys yells.

"Oi. Saving the alien now, domestic later." Jestine interrupts Gwen and Rhys.

"Rhys is right, he's our best way in - stun guns only." Jack puts in as Jestine sighs disappointed.

"We've handled bigger than this. Why don't we just storm in, guns in the air and arrest them?" Owen asks.

"Those men aren't organized criminals. If we go in, guns blazing, they'll kill the evidence and run." Jack explains.

"I wasn't suggesting blazing, just waving." Owen shrugs.

"The last thing we need is a bloodbath." Jack looks pointedly at Jestine who throws her hands up in surrender.

"Point taken." Owen nods as Jack stands up.

"Once Rhys has loaded up, he can clear." Jack tries to both reassure Gwen and reinforce to Rhys that while he was helping, he was still a member of the public. "You don't have to come. You can stand down." Jack offers to Rhys.

"It might be better." Tosh says.

"You love him. Makes you vulnerable." Jack adds as Gwen looks at them stubbornly.

"He's not going in there without me."

Jack shrugs, he tried to make it easier for Gwen but she made her choice. "That's your decision. You both have to live by it."

"So, after we've stun-gunned the workers, we put the creature out of its misery." Tosh tries to bring the meeting back to topic.

"No. We're going to save it." Jack orders them forcefully. Ianto and Owen look at each other, surprised at Jack's decision, while Jestine just sighs.

"Stabilize it, wait for the rift to open, and phoom, send it back." Jack explains.

"Guess who'll have to look after it in the meantime." Ianto mutters under his breath.

"Tell me - exactly how are we going to use it to arm ourselves against the future?" Tosh challenges Jack.

"We could always hide behind it." Owen jokes.

Jack glares at Owen for being so insensitive. "Why shouldn't we save it? Because it's an alien? It needs our protection."

"You didn't hear its cry. Heartbreaking." Rhys adds.

"Listen to Ahab." Tosh struggles to hold in a laugh at Ianto's quip.

"Jack, it's growing." Owen argues.

"Well, we'll find a way to stop it mutating." Jack stands up and challenges his team.

"Jack stop. We all want to try and save it. But you need to be prepared for us not being able to. It has had chunks of its flesh cut out of it while still alive. It would be in so much agony and sometimes its better to end the suffering." Jestine tries to calm Jack.

"Of course our first option will be to save it, to return it from where ever it came from. But we all need to be ready for the chance that it may be in too much pain for us to humanly keep it alive."

Jack lets out a sigh and nods, aware that what Jestine said was fair. He was just so sick of death in this job that just once or twice he would like a happy ending.

"Fine." Owen agrees with that solution, he was not as optimistic as Jestine or Jack.

"I'll stock up on plankton." Ianto mutters as he gets up to leave along with the others.

"So you do have a heart." Gwen comments to Jestine, surprised that the girl would even care about the alien.

"We see enough death." Jestine explains before she leaves too.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Owen stands in front of the computer monitors, looking at the image of a large creature. Tosh comes up to him carrying a plate of sandwiches.

"What's that?" She asks looking at the screen. 

"Oh, it's just an idea of what it looks like. Had it made up from the genetic makeup." Owen explains. "Jestine doesn't seem to recognise it so far."

"Looks lovely." Tosh mutters sarcastically.

"Hm." Owen replies.

"You're just a big softy, really, aren't you?" Tosh grins at Owen.

Owen shakes his head, he would never openly admit to any such thing.

"I brought you some sandwiches."

"Thanks, Tosh." Owen sighs, it had been a long day.

"It's okay, just cheese and pickle. I can keep you company. I'm not tired." Tosh offers.

"Nah, if Jack will let you, you should go home. One of us should get to see their bed tonight." Owen replies.

"That's another big lump out of its habitat." Owen gestures to Rhys on the couch as he sits down to eat the sandwiches.

Tosh shakes her head at Owen. "You know it won't kill you to be nice once in a while."

"How do you know, it just might." Owen teases. Tosh just rolls her eyes. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"He's doing well so far." Jestine comments as Ianto hands her and Jack a coffee each.

"Let's just hope he stays that way." Jack replies, turning away from the window as he sees Gwen watching him even as she is kissing Rhys.

"You really don't think it's a good idea to have involved do you?" Jestine comments.

"It's dangerous having civilians around, let alone part of the operation. Add to it that he happens to be Gwen's boyfriend. Let's hope that he doesn't get into any trouble or else her love for him could compromise it all."

"I agree, but maybe it could help her realise what you lot all go through every day." Jestine suggest.

"I think we are just going to have to wait and see." Jack sighs, he was not looking forward to the next day, there were too many things that could go wrong.

Ianto squeezes Jack's shoulder before leaving.

**Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you thought, always love to hear from others, till next time**


	32. Chapter 32

**Sorry so much for the delay. Silly me thought I could actually get things done during November/December. Things have just been so flat out, not only did I celebrate my own 21st but what felt like a million other people's birthdays, two going aways, two work/friends Christmas parties, two family Christmas meals as well as doing an intensive two week summer unit at uni. Some good news though. Because this chapter got so long, I have split it up into two and so am almost done with the next chapter so should hopefully have it up sometime the first week of January.**

**Thank you once again to each and every person who has taken the time to read this story and/or review/favourite/alert. If it weren't for you I would have just not have bothered continuing this story. I really appreciate the support this story has received, for me it is just amazing and it have really helped me so much.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood. If I did, Gwen wouldn't have lasted long enough to make so many mistakes like she did in Meat.**

**Warning: This is a dark chapter at times, largely because of the episode itself but also due to the actions of Jestine. There is mention of killing; there is slight torture, and some swearing/insults. No offence is meant with any of this writing but I apologise in advance if the contents offended/upset everyone, my aim is to entertain people not upset them.**

So what do you want to talk about?" Jestine asks as Ianto leaves the room.

"I want to make sure you are going to be alright for tomorrow. We are going to need everyone to deal with the people behind this as well as Rhys." Jack answers.

"I'm fine, I was fine to go today." Jestine replies somewhat frostily.

"I meant are you going to listen to me and not shot these people. I need to know that you will listen to my orders, otherwise you won't be coming." Jack warns her.

Jestine nods. "While I would love to shot those scum bags, I will listen to your orders. There are worse fates than death and I trust that you will punish them as they deserve." Jestine tells Jack solemnly.

"You wouldn't be talking from experience would you?" Jack tries to get Jestine to open up to him.

"Look, I know you mean well and all but I really don't want to talk about it." Jestine tells Jack firmly.

"While I'm sure that you would rather not talk about it, sometimes talking does help. You've been through a lot and it might does make you feel better. You can't tell me that you aren't hurting from killing that whole race of aliens."

Jestine looks away. "There are many things I have or haven't done that still hurt, but I had to kill those aliens. It was better than what they deserved, it was what had to be done. I only regret I didn't do it sooner" Jestine tells him forcefully.

Jack is taken aback with this statement. Sure Jestine wasn't like most people and her moral compass was off but still he thought that she would carry some guilt or something from killing off an entire species, not regret about not doing it sooner. Although just like with every thing else when it came to Jestine, Jack suspected there was more to the story that she probably would be telling.

"What did they do?" Jack asks.

"Took things that did not belong to them." Jestine answers bluntly.

"But to think that." Jack looks at her in shock. "What did they do to you to deserve your vengeance?"

For a moment it seems that Jestine may just give in and tell him but instead she brushes his question off.

"It isn't important. Now was there anything else you wanted to talk about or can I go?"

Jack sighs, he had hoped that he would get somewhere with Jestine but it looked like he would just have to wait for her to decide that she trusted him enough.

"I wanted to see how you were doing after Tommy."

"I'm dealing with it. It isn't the first time or the last that I will have to deal with someone's death." Jestine replies.

"We are here for you if you ever want to talk about it." Jack cringes at how cliché he sounded but Jestine needed to know that there were people there for her.

Jestine gives a smile. "Yeah, Tosh told me the same thing. She also said she considered us friends."

"It's true, here we are all friends, and we are all here for each other no matter what." Jack grins at Jestine; she did seem to be doing ok.

"Yeah. It's all a little strange. Friends" Jestine looks out at the team.

"Have you had many friends before?" Jack asks, his curiosity sparked. Although from the few bits of information they had managed to gleam from Jestine it had seemed as if she hadn't had many friends.

Jestine shrugs. "Yeah, no, kinda. A few here and there. Well I did, or will depending on how you look at it." Jestine replies.

"What happened to them?" While he was aware of how complicated it could get when describing relationships when your timeline wasn't linear but he thought it was odd Jestine saying she did have friends as if she was no longer friends with them in her own timeline.

Jestine shrugs again. "This and that, mostly died."

Jack looks at Jestine sadly, while he himself had experienced plenty of deaths first hand it was terrible that one so long had been through so much.

"Is that why you killed those aliens, cause they killed your friends?" Jack just wants to make sense of the story.'

Jestine shrugs. "It doesn't matter. All that happened has happened in my timeline and nothing can be changed." Jestine replies.

Jack nods. "Time travel does have some big downsides." Jack is able to sympathies completely with Jestine through all the times he had so badly wanted to step in and change things.

Jestine just shrugs. "Any way if that is the end of our little chat, I'm going to go and find something useful to do."

Jack nods, knowing that he wouldn't get anything else out of Jestine.

He watches her leave as he mulls over her comments.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Thanks" Rhys sighs as he takes a sip from the coffee Jestine had just passed him. He was sitting on the battered old couch while Gwen was up in Jack's office.

Jestine sits down next to him sipping her own cup of coffee.

"So how are you going?" Jestine asks him.

"Not sure. I mean I just discovered that there are aliens in Cardiff and my fiancée fights them for a living while working in a secret underground base. I keep expecting to wake up and discover it's all and dream." Rhys gives a bit of a chuckle.

Jestine gives him a smile. "It certainly isn't a dream. I have to say though; you are handling it quite well, better than a lot of people would."

"How did you react when found out about aliens?" Rhys couldn't help his curiosity.

Jestine bites her lip for a moment while she works out what to tell Rhys.

"Umm, yeah, I kinda was brought up by an alien." Jestine tells Rhys as she gauges his reaction.

Rhys looks at Jestine in confusion and surprise. "But you're human aren't you. I mean you look human and everything."

"Mostly." Jestine answers. "I was actually brought up by a family friend who was alien. Also just cause someone looks human doesn't make them so."

"So what was it like, being brought up by an alien?" Rhys is finding Jestine more and more fascinating, he had never met someone brought up by aliens before, at least not that he had known.

Jestine shrugs. "Different I guess. Amazing, terrifying. Exciting, lonely. I don't know." Jestine sighs as she thinks of her time with The Doctor. She did love The Doctor like the father she never had but it wasn't always an easy life with him.

Rhys just sits there, not sure what to say in response to Jestine's comments.

"So are there many aliens brining up humans?" Rhys asks.

"Not really, at least not in this time frame. In the future, yeah tons, as well as humans raising aliens but not yet." Jestine replies.

"This time frame?" Rhys asks, not really sure that he understood what Jestine meant.

"Don't worry about it. I think you have had enough to deal with today without adding anything else." Jestine smiles at Rhys before getting off the couch. "Now I probably have some work or something I am meant to be doing, but if you need anything just let me know." And with that she disappears.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You're sure you don't want to come with us?" Ianto asks as he finishes getting ready.

"You really want me to tag along on your date?" Jestine looks at Ianto as if it were the silliest suggestion she had ever heard.

Ianto sighs, Jestine was tough to deal with sometimes. "Ok I was just asking. You know, being polite, you may want to try that sometime."

Jestine rolls her eyes at Ianto. "I know that, but my response is that same as it was the dozen other times both you and Jack have asked, still no."

"Well we wouldn't ask so often if we were sure that you would be right here by yourself." Jack comments as he comes out from the bathroom from having gotten ready. "How do I look?" He asks as he runs a hand through his hair.

"Terrible." Jestine replies. "And I will be fine by myself. I am not a child."

Jack gives Jestine a pointed look.

She glares at him.

"Enough of that you two." Ianto interrupts them before an argument could start. "You look great like always Jack. And yes we know you aren't a child Jestine but you certainly make us worry. We just want to make sure you are going to keep out of trouble."

Jestine rolls her eyes. "I will be fine. You trust me don't you?"

Ianto gives a sigh. Jestine certainly knew what to say to get her way.

"We do. Just be careful. We need everyone at their best tomorrow and we also don't want you getting into any more trouble." Jack looks at Jestine seriously.

"You can stop worrying about me. Just go and enjoy yourselves." Jestine tries and gets them to leave.

Jack and Ianto look at each other. There really wasn't much else they could do, Jestine was an adult, at least they assumed as much, and she was more than capable of looking after herself.

"Ok, but if you do go out don't be too late, even you could do with some sleep." Jack tells her before they leave.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So what is the story with Jestine?" Rhys asks as he and Gwen sit down to the take-away they had picked up on their way home. "She told me that she was brought up by an alien. She wasn't serious was she?" Rhys couldn't tell if Jestine had been joking or not, she seemed to be telling the truth but it just seemed so far-fetch.

"Be careful around her. There is a lot we don't know about her." Gwen warns.

Rhys gives a chuckle. "Come on, she isn't dangerous, seemed a little odd but why would I have to worry about her, she seemed nice enough.

"Listen to me Rhys. You don't know her, she is dangerous. She has killed without remorse and to be honest, if we didn't need her I doubt Jack would want to keep someone like that." Gwen tells Rhys gravely.

"Really, she didn't seem dangerous to me." Rhys is surprised by Gwen's reaction. Although she had spoken of having one or two arguments with Jestine, she had always seemed to be glad to have Jestine there, especially when Jack had gone AWOL.

"And what is a dangerous person meant to look like. Should she have a sign warning you? Be serious for once Rhys. This is no joke. Just keep away from her tomorrow." Gwen glares at Rhys, she wished he would just listen to her, she was the one who was an expert in this given all her time in the police force and at Torchwood. And what would Rhys know, the only time he would see anyone dangerous would be in the cartoons he always watched where the good guys wore white and the bad guys wore black.

Rhys holds his hands up in surrender. "Don't worry. I will keep out of the way tomorrow, although I wish you would do the same." Rhys looks at Gwen in worry, while he was glad that she wasn't keeping secrets from him anymore, he was frighten upon finding out just what it was that Gwen did.

"It's my job Rhys. I save the world Rhys. I can't just stop because you don't want me doing it, they need me." Gwen lets out a sigh of frustration, maybe it had been a good thing Rhys not knowing, he just didn't understand.

"I know that, it doesn't mean I will worry about you any less." Rhys gives Gwen's hand a squeeze. "Now no more work talk, lets just enjoy our dinner."

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Are you serious about Ianto?" Rhys asks as he and Jack travel to pick up the rest of the team before heading to the warehouse.

"What?" Jack asks, annoyed that Rhys was sticking his nose where it did not belong.

"I want to know if you are serious about Ianto and aren't going to run off on him again." Rhys glances at the man next to him. "He was a mess when Gwen dragged him round to our place. I know I don't really know the guy and that it isn't really any of my business but no one deserves to have to go through that once, let alone twice. So I want to know, are you serious about Ianto or are you going to just break his heart again?"

Jack is taken aback by Rhys' statement. When he ran off with The Doctor he hadn't thought about how it would affect anyone, least of all Ianto. And here was a guy who barely knew him was looking out for him.

"I am serious, so serious about Ianto. There is nothing in the whole universe that could take me away from Ianto, not again, I learnt my lesson." Jack honestly tells Rhys. "And look, I appreciate it, you looking out for him, especially as you don't know him, you did a better job that I did." Jack looks guiltily out the window of the truck.

"It's right mate, as long as you promise to take care of him. What I've seen of him, he seems a good bloke. Still at least it means there are two less guys potentially trying to steal my Gwen." Rhys jokes to try and lighten the mood. Jack laughs along, although he finds nothing funny about it given some of Gwen's previous behaviour.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Gwen, Tosh and I will take the main area. Owen, Ianto and Jestine, cover the corridors and small rooms." Jack orders as they ride in the truck to the warehouse.

As the team move to prepare to go, Jack takes Ianto aside.

"Keep an eye on Jestine. She says she will listen to orders but it wouldn't hurt to watch out."

Ianto nods.

"And be careful."

"You too Jack." Ianto gives Jack a quick peck on the lips before the truck comes to a stop.

"Right, lets go." Jack orders.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Owen, Ianto and Jestine walk through the packing room to find huge chunks of meat hanging around the place.

"Mmm." Ianto mutters as he dabs his wrist to his nose from the smell.

"Shit. Its sentient." Jestine mutters as they head along.

"How do you know?" Owen whispers to her.

"Those bastards are going to pay." She tells them angrily.

Ianto nods in reply as he heads to the door at the other side of the room.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine curses as the door opens right in front of her, giving her no time to hide.

"Who are you?" The man asks her, stunned to see anyone else here.

"I'm here to give a message to one of the workers." Jestine glances at the ID badge that the man is wearing. "His name is Mark." She flutters her eyelashes at him.

"That's me." Mark answers as he takes in the woman in front of him.

"Well Mark, it's your lucky day." Jestine tells him as she walks seductively over to him.

"What's the message?" Mark asks as he subconsciously licks his lips.

Jestine smiles as she reaches the man and leans in.

Her lips moves to within breaths reach of his lips. Mark closes his eyes in anticipation. Jestine brushes past his lips to next to his ear. Mark shivers as her breath tickles his ear.

"I know what you are doing and you're going to pay for it." Jestine murmurs in his ear.

Mark jerks his head as he process what Jestine had just said but before he can do anything she stuns him with her stun gun.

"You're just all so predictable." Jestine laughs before turning on the com that Jack insisted on her taking. "Guys, they're armed.

Jestine grabs the guy's gun before looking around to find a place to hide the body.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"Just not my day is it?" Jestine mutters as she enters the packaging room to find Dale pointing a gun at her and Greg with Rhys and Ianto.

"Eh eh eh eh! You looking for someone?" Dale asks as he steps forward. "How many more of you?"

"Just us." Jestine answers.

"You thought the three of you could take us out? Nah. You're not that stupid."

He searches Jestine.

"Came well armed though." He comments as he pulls out a stun gun, the gun she had taken from Mark as well as two more.

"Dave, get some ropes, tie their hands." Dale orders as Dave leaves to get the rope.

"I want every door locked, inside and out."

"Nobody leaves the building till this is sorted."

"You mind these two while I have a quick word with this one." Dale leers at Jestine.

Ianto and Rhys can only look on hopelessly as Jestine is dragged into one of the side offices.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Dale pushes Jestine into the room before closing the door.

Jestine glares as he approaches her.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson." Dale taunts her as he grabs at her breast.

"Fuck off." Jestine spits at him.

"The more you struggle the worse it is going to hurt." Dale warns her as he pushes her roughly up against the wall.

"No fucking way." Jestine yells as she swings a shoulder into his arms.

Dale slaps her. "You shut up you little whore. You deserve this, thinking you can come in here and steal my meat. When I'm done with you, you will know better than to try and take me on." He snarls at her.

Dale rips at her shirt, tearing it as he gropes her. She struggles as he pulls her in for a messy kiss, biting her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood.

Jestine suddenly pulls her head back as he releases it from his tight grip. Before he can respond, Jestine head butts Dale and there is a cracking noise at contact.

Jestine kicks Dale in the flank as he reels from the previous attack.

As Dale flails on the floor Jestine makes a run for it, tearing at her ties as she pushes the door open.

Ianto and Rhys look up in shock as Jestine comes bursting out from the office.

"Oi." Dave shouts at the girl. "One more move and I shoot him." He threatens as he points the gun at Rhys.

Jestine stops immediately.

Dale comes flying out from the office seething.

He grabs hold of Jestine and pushes her to the ground.

"You little slut, you thought you could attack me." He yells as he kicks her.

Rhys gives as shout while Ianto struggles against his binds.

"You two shut up and do as you told or I'll beat you too." Dale warns before kicking Jestine repeatedly.

"Now you are all going to obediently walk through to the main room." Dale orders the three hostages as he drags Jestine up from the ground.

Her mouth is bleeding and the start of a bruise is already forming on her cheek.

They walk dutifully to where Dale pushes them.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack curses as he sees Dale, Vic and Dave enter the main room. Gwen flinches as she notices the gun held against Rhys' neck. Jack's heart starts to pound when he sees the gun pointed at Ianto. He hears Tosh gasps as Jestine is half dragged into the room.

"What is it?" Ianto asks as he gapes at the huge creature in front of him.

"The lads call it the cash cow." Dale laughs at the creatures moaning.

"Dale, what are you doing?" Vic asks as he comes running in.

Dale pushes Jestine to the ground as he answers. "Couldn't bear to see us making money, Vic. Fancy some for yourselves, huh? Thought we'd be a pushover."

"Mate, you're so out of your depth." Rhys tells Dale.

Dale responses by pointing the gun at Rhys. "Funny, I was just thinking the same about you."

"Dale! Don't be an idiot." Vic warns him.

Dale just ignores him and shouts out to the warehouse. "Show yourselves or I shoot the delivery boy!" 

The team all curse as Gwen steps into view.

"Okay!" Gwen calls their attention to her as Rhys looks on desperately.

"There's no need to make any threats." Gwen tries to calm them down.

Ianto looks at Gwen in disbelief at Gwen's action while Jestine shakes her head and mutters words that don't sound like they are from Earth.

"Just the three of you," is it?" Dale taunt. "Gun down, kick it over here."

"I don't have a gun." Gwen tells as she steps forward.

Dale scoffs. "Them two both had one, so you must have!"

Gwen sighs as she pulls her gun out from her back and holds it up.

"Okay! Okay. Okay." She puts the gun on the ground.

"Any more of you? And before you answer, have a proper think. 'Cause if you lie ...I will shoot you." Dale threatens as he points the gun at Gwen.

Ianto and Rhys both look at Gwen, Rhys shakes his head, wondering how things got so bad so quickly.

"It's just me." Gwen convinces them.

Dale waves the gun at the drum. "Get against the drum."

Gwen starts forward. "We can help you, Dale." Gwen tries to diffuse the situation, they were sure to listen to her, everyone always did.

"Yeah. Help yourselves, more like." Dale bitterly replies as he pushes Rhys towards Gwen. "Stand next to her. You too." He motions to Ianto. Ianto walks slowly over to Rhys and Gwen as Dale kicks at Jestine who is still lying on the floor where he had pushed her.

"Dale, two more!" Greg shouts from the second floor catwalk. Gwen grabs Rhys and pushes him behind her.

"Far corner - they can't get out, it's locked."

Dale grabs hold of Ianto and pulls him back with his gun pointed at Ianto's neck. "Kick out your weapons! Stand where I can see you!"

Jack is pissed. Gwen had disobeyed orders and now Ianto was in danger and they had no choice but to hand themselves in. Jack and Tosh step out with their guns and hands up in the air.

"Drop your weapons." Dale orders.

Jack tosses his gun aside as Tosh puts her gun down and slides it towards them.

"You know what you've got here, Dale?" Jack asks as he steps forward.

"Shut up, now!" Dale orders, which Jack immediately ignores.

"It's an alien, a creature from another galaxy. It came through a rift in time and space, and it was unlucky enough to find you." Jack explains as Vic's eyes widen.

"No, no way." Vic shakes his head in disbelief.

"Do you really think it originated on this planet? You ever seen anything like it before?" Tosh asks.

"It can't be. Can it?" Vic asks, no way could it be true.

"Look at it." Jack orders as the creature wails and opens it's eyes. The more they look at it the more they freak.

"It's just meat, that's all." Dales shakes his head.

Ianto works at the ropes tied around his wrists as they are distracted.

"You're carving up a sentient creature! And you've got to stop." Jack orders.

"And then what have I got? I'm making money. This is my business." Dale snarls as Vic seems to break down from the sound of the creature's tortured cries.

"For the first time in my life, I've actually got something for myself." Dale waves his gun around.

"Dale, stop. You can still walk away from this." Gwen tries to stop him.

"No." Dale answers as the creature cries. "You lied to me." Dale points the gun at Gwen. Rhys steps in the way. "No!" Dale shots at Rhys, hitting him.

As the empty bullet casing clinks to the floor Ianto grabs Dale's wrist and wrestles him for the gun. Jestine tackles Dave to the ground, attacking him anyway she can.

"No!" Jack shouts as Ianto and Dale wrestle for control over the gun and it fires several times. Some of the chains around the creature break free as Vic runs out of the main room.

Jack grabs his gun and aims for Dale. He quickly puts it back down as he realises he can't get a shot with Ianto in the way.

The creatures rolls to the side knocking over the stacked items around it as Ianto knocks Dale to the ground. Tosh and Jack become trapped by the creature's movement. All Jack can do is watch as his lover fights with Dale.

Ianto straddles Dale and punches him as wires become frayed and come loose, Jack and Tosh narrowly miss being hit by one.

Dale lands a punch and knocks Ianto off to the side. He quickly gets up, grabbing the gun and points it down at Ianto.

"Die!" Dale sneers as Jack's heart stops.

He fires but the gun clicks, empty.

Jack can barely breath for a moment as he registers what had just happened.

"Shit!" Dale exclaims as he looks at the gun before backing away and running.

"Ianto, go! After them!" Jack tries to get his mind focused on the job. "Jestine you too." Jestine had managed to knock Dave out during the commotion.

Jack quickly activates his comm. "Owen! Rhys has been shot! The  
creature's coming loose. We need that sedative, now!"

Gwen sits cradling Rhys in her arms, oblivious to the fight going on around her.

"Open your eyes. Come on, you can do this. Open your eyes for me, now." 

Jack pushes Tosh back behind him as more wires come loose.

"Owen, we need you! We're trapped. The creature's breaking free. If we try and get past, we'll be crushed."

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Dale empties the safe in the back office, dumping the cash into a duffle bag.

"You went and shot him, bruv!" Greg exclaims as Dale zips up the bag. Dale pays Greg no mind as he slides the bag over to Greg turns to fill another duffle bag. Greg picks up the bag and heads for the door.

As Greg reaches the door Jestine kicks it in, knocking Grey to the wall. He drops the bag and staggers back. Jestine shots him in the shoulder and he collapses on the ground in agony, no longer a threat.

Dale grabs the gun on the desk. Jestine kicks it out of his hand and knocks him to the floor. 

Jestine looms over the man, her eyes burning with fury. "You fucking bastard. I think it's time I teach you a lesson." She pulls out a knife from a concealed holster on her leg.

"All that pain you caused. That poor creature, being slowly carved up alive. Just so you could make a quick dollar. How would you like it?" Jestine sneers at Dale who is looking at her in terror.

Jestine straddles the man and rips open his shirt. "Just imagine the pain, as the knife first pierces your skin." Jestine goads as she runs the blade lightly over Dale's bare chest, enough to give him shivers but not break the skin.

"The agony as your flesh is cut apart, your synapses screaming as your nerves are torn apart." Dale screams as Jestine pushes harder on the knife. Blood starts to trickle from the shallow wound Jestine has made.

"Muscle and fat being pulled from your body. The mental overload as everything burns with pain." Jestine holds the knife above Dale's heart.

Ianto bursts into the room, his eyes widening as he takes in the scene.

"Jestine, stop now." He yells as he runs over to her.

He grabs the knife and Jestine gives it up without resistance. She pulls out a stun gun and rams it into Dale's groin and zaps him. Dale's eyes roll to the back of his head before he hits the floor with a thud.

Jestine quickly moves over to the Greg and stuns him too, although this time she presses the muzzle to his forehead.

"Shit what did you do?" Ianto asks Jestine.

"Thought he deserved a taste of his own medicine." Jestine glare down at the now prone body of Dale.

Ianto just has no clue what to say in response, in shock from Jestine's actions.

Jestine scowls at Dale before disappearing.

Ianto gives one more glance around the room before he leaves to join the others.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Owen runs into the main room with the container and pump-like syringe just as Jestine also appears in the room. He stops as he sees the massive creature.

"Bloody hell!" He gasps.

He swears as he sees Jack and Tosh still trapped on the other side of the creature. 

Jestine reaches out a hand and places her palm on the creature, her eyes filled with pain and sorrow.

"I'm sorry." Owen whispers as he stabs it with the pump and injects it.

The creature rears up and slams back down.

"Owen, you're making it worse!" Jack bellows as the creature growls loudly. Owen refills the pump and re-injects the creature. It growls again in response but then appears to calm down.

"Looks like it's working." Owen sighs as he backs away. The creature wails pitifully,

"What did you do?" Jack demands.

"Mercy killing." Owen mutters as he kicks the air in frustration. Jack looks sadly at the creature. He had really thought that they could save the creature, that after everything it had been through maybe things could work out for it. What the poor thing got for being unfortunate enough to land on earth.

Jack closes his eyes with grief as the creature's cries grow weaker.

Jestine starts a soft slow song in a strange but soothing language, as the creature starts to fade.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Owen mutters to the creature as Tosh puts her hand on his shoulder. He claps her hand and holds tight.

The creature stops wailing and quietens as Jestine's song fills the warehouse. Its eyes close and it stops moving. Jestine finishes her song moments later, tears streaming from her eyes.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack immediately goes to his office with Ianto following. Rhys is leaning on both Gwen and Owen as they make their way to the medical bay, Tosh close behind. Jestine sits down on the old battered couch wearily.

Ianto is pushed against Jack's office door the moment he enters.

Jack pulls him in for a long deep kiss, trying to pour all his emotions into it.

"I was so scared. When he had that gun over you and pulled the trigger. Thought I was going to lose you." Jack pants as they pull apart for air. Tears start to run down his cheeks. "I was so sure that I was going to lose you today. I'm so sorry." Jack whispers into Ianto's neck.

Ianto clings to Jack, he had been so sure himself that he was going to die in that warehouse. "It's ok Jack. I didn't, I'm still here. It wasn't your fault. You didn't make them take that creature and turn it into a living meat factory." Ianto tries to sooth both his lover and himself.

"But I should have been able to protect you. He had you hostage and all I could do was watch. And then when he almost shot you, I made you run after him." Jack mumbles.

"You did the best you could. Jack I chose to work for Torchwood and I chose to go on the mission. You can't blame yourself for the dangers. You did the right thing, you are the leader and we rely on you to keep a cool head and give us the right orders. You couldn't think about me and us out in the field. You're too good a leader to let personal stuff get in the way." Ianto tells Jack.

"I just wish I could protect you, that I could keep you out of danger." Jack inhales Ianto's scent.

"Jack, we both know you could never do that while I work for Torchwood and I could never leave it."

Jack nods as he continues to inhale Ianto's scent. Ianto pulls Jack closer, letting his warmth and smell surround him, remind himself why he did it.

**Thank you so much for reading. I hope the length did make up for the long delay between post a little. Please let me know anything you think about this chapter, I do love to hear about other people's thoughts on the story, whether it be the style of writing, the content, the characters or anything, please feel free to review. Till next time. (Which hopefully won't be too long.)**


	33. Chapter 33

**New year, new chapter. This was meant to be the last on Meat but it has gotten so long that I had to split it again. There is a lot of Gwen-bashing in this chapter. This is very much how I would have had the episode had I written it as I really hated how Gwen treated the rest of Torchwood and that she was allowed to get away with it. I have tried to balance it with some Jestine-bashing as I do realise I have been having her getting away with lots which is what I hated most about Gwen. Thank you once again to everyone who is reading/alerting/favorting/reviewing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood. If I did, the episode Meat would have been a lot different.**

**Warning: There is violence, swearing, insults and stuff like that in this chapter. It is not my intention to upset/cause discomfort or anything along those lines. All I wish to do is entertain you with a story. Please let me know if there is something that is particularly upsetting and I will do my best to rectify it.**

"Gwen we need to talk. My office now." Jack orders as he enters the medical bay.

"But Rhys needs me here." Gwen huffs at Jack being so inconsiderate.

"He will be fine for a few minutes." Jack frostily replies.

"What happened to the blokes?" Rhys asks, thankfully interrupting Gwen and Jack before they could get into a full blown argument.

"We gave them amnesia pills. They'll remember who they are, but not what they did over the past few months." Jack tells him.

"So they got away with it?" Rhys asks, disgusted, after everything they had done they just got to forget it.

"It would never stand up in a court of law." Jack replies.

"And the creature?" Rhys looks around at the team as silence falls.

Tosh squeezes Owen's hand as he looks down in sorrow.

"Incinerated." Jack breaks the silence.

"So there's nothing left. It was never there." Rhys asks distraught.

Jack gives a nod. "Gwen, my office now, no argument."

He turns and leaves. Gwen glares at his back before leaning forward and kissing Rhys.

She storms off after Jack. 

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"No, I will not do it." Gwen comes storming out of Jack's office. "I won't drug him." She yells at Jack.

"You have to." Tosh tells her gently, she could sympathise but the rules were there for a reason.

"We can't allow him to remember." Owen adds.

"It's the rules." Ianto tells her sadly.

"But none of you have any partners outside of this." Gwen glares at them all.

Jack tries to make Gwen understand. "But we understand how you feel."

"No, you don't Jack. You all think it's cold and lonely out there, but it isn't for me, because I have him. He matters, and I've lied to him for long enough. What he did today was so brave. Braver than any of us, because we signed up for this, but he didn't - he did it because he loves me! And I won't take that away from him! I won't! And if that means I have to quit, or you retcon me or whatever, then, fine, fine." Gwen rants at Jack.

"Shut the fuck up you whore." Jestine interrupts anything else Gwen may have had to say.

The team turn to face Jestine, shocked at her sudden appearance and words.

"You think you are so much better than us because you have Rhys. Because you have a normal life. Have you ever once just stopped to think about why the rest of us are here, why we think the world is "cold and lonely" as you put it. Have you?"

"Have you for even a second thought about all the shit we have been through to get here, how much we have all lost. Maybe if you got off your high horse for two seconds you would realise you aren't better than us, you are just luckier."

"You fucking bitch have no clue just how lucky you are. You grew up with two parents who loved and doted on you so much. You never had to watch by as a partner died while you could do nothing; you never had to risk everything for a loved one. You have never lost a child. You have never taken another's life because it was for the greater good. So yeah, you might not consider the world to be as cold and lonely as us, but that's only cause you have never experience pain and loss."

"You little slut, who do you think you are, talking to me like that." Gwen shrieks.

"Get the fuck over yourself. I will talk to you however I like. You call me the slut yet you are the one who claims to love Rhys so much. Claim that you would do anything for him, put the lives of your teammates on the line for him yet shag Owen within days of starting here." Jestine retorts.

"You say that you have lied to him enough but how much of that was because you had to, how much was because you were fucking someone behind his back, or trying to get into Jack's pants."

"You would drop Rhys in a second if you thought you had a chance with Jack so don't you dare call me a slut. I never have and never would cheat on someone I claim to be in a committed monogamous relationship."

"Don't you talk to me like that." Gwen storms over to Jestine. "Don't you dare try and talk to me about love. You wouldn't know what love was if you fell over it. No wonder your mother abandoned you, I certainly would if you were my shit of a kid. Of course you have never cheated on someone, you would need someone to love you first. And no-one ever could, you are too much of a monster to love. And I am better than you because of that. I am better than you all because of it."

"You accuse me of being all high and mighty. What about you? You act like you are the boss of us because you have been to space. Well guess what, no one gives a shit about you."

"You are just a child, you could never know better than me, just because you have had a few adventures with that stupid doctor of yours does not mean you are better than me."

"I have something none of you have. I have heart. I know what it is like to be human, I know what it is liked to be loved, to love and you are just jealous because you will never have that." Gwen taunts Jestine.

"You don't know what love is." Jestine steps forward right into Gwen's face, forcing her back. "You think you are better because you know love with out loss. You think because they have lost so much that they are so cold and lonely, could never love again." Jestine gestures to their teammates.

"Well guess what. You have no fucking clue about love. You never can without knowing what it is like to lose that love. They are better than you ever will be when it comes to love."

"Do you really think you find love if you lost Rhys? How would you love again after watch Rhys slowly deteriorate to the point where he can't remember who you are? Could you fight everyone to try and find what is wrong with him only to have him die? Could you still try and find the answers even if it wouldn't bring him back, would make everyone think you were crazy? Could you then find love again, not once but twice more?"

"Could you give up everything for someone one you love? Comprise your core morals in order to protect them? Knowingly help people who are hell bent on evil in the hope that your loved one will be spared? Could you go to jail, for the rest of your life for Rhys, for trying to protect him? Could you never see him again in order to keep him safe?"

"Could you spend months looking after Rhys while trying to find a cure for the incurable? Could you risk your very life for the slim chance that Rhys could be saved? Could you then let him be killed for the greater good? Could you fall in love with the man who killed him? The man who ran away with someone else without any regard to your feelings?"

"Could you sacrifice yourself for someone you have only just met? Would you go into battle knowing that you will die but do it any way so that the world could be saved? Could you die so that others may live? Could you model yourself in the mould of Rhys only for him to reject you? Could you survive forever, never dying, but always watching others die, losing the ones you love, again and again?"

"Do you really think you are so much better than them, that you could go through what they have been through and still have the ability to love? Still be able to get up each and everyday and fight in the memory of those that you have lost? Be able to fight for those that caused you all that pain?" Jestine challenges Gwen.

"You know what? It doesn't matter what you have to say. You have no importance to anyone, lest of all me." Gwen replies as she turns to leave.

"Whats wrong, can't you handle the truth?" Jestine mocks. "And just so you know, The Doctor's shit is more intelligent than you ever will be."

Gwen turns around and slaps Jestine.

The team all freeze for a moment in shock as the sound reverberates through out The Hub.

Before Gwen can react, Jestine punches her hitting her right cheek.

"Whoa, stop this now. Stop!" Jack jumps in and grabs hold of Jestine before she can hit Gwen again.

Gwen clutches at her cheek. "How dare you hit me."

"Gwen just go now." Jack orders as he struggles to contain Jestine. "Go home and I will talk to you later about your behaviour."

"But it wasn't my fault. You heard her. All the lies and insults she said. You can't do anything to me." Gwen looks at Jack in shock that he would be so angry with her, it was all Jestine's doing.

"You are right Gwen." Jack admits. Gwen smirks, maybe they could get rid of Jestine, she was turning out to be nothing more than a nuisance. "I did hear her, I also heard you. Both of you are at fault here and you will both be dealt with. Now leave with Rhys before I retcon you myself." Jack threatens.

Gwen opens her mouth as if to say something before closing it and storming of to get Rhys.

"You my office now." Jack orders Jestine before storming into his office.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"What the fuck was that?" Jack asks Jestine the second she sits down.

"You heard her. She thinks she is so fucking great cause she has a "normal life." She thinks she is above you all and that she can do whatever she likes." Jestine glares out the window.

Jack felt like banging his head on the desk in frustration. While he could understand and allow the occasional argument or disagreement within his team, he could not let them come to physical blows with each other. How could they trust each other with their lives if they were punching or slapping each other?

"What he means is why did you do that?" Ianto senses Jack's frustration.

"Like I said, cause she thinks she is above you all and I am so sick of her attitude. I know you all hate when she acts like that, just none of you have the guts to say anything." Jestine turns to glare at Ianto for a moment before facing back to the window.

"Tough, it does not matter what you think of any of your colleagues, you do not punch them." Jack scolds.

"And she didn't need to slap me."

Jack sighs, it was going to be a long night if Jestine kept this up.

"You didn't need to start the argument. And yes she didn't need to slap you but that does not mean you should punch her back." Jack informs her.

"Whatever." Jestine mutters.

"No, not whatever. This isn't just about that argument with Gwen. Some of the things she said were true. You do have a terrible attitude. And Ianto told me what you did to both Greg and Dale." Jack laments. "You were told before we went in that it was stun guns only."

"And then it all turned to shit and I responded. They certainly weren't going to be nice to us if they had the chance, or have you forgotten that Dale pointed a gun at Ianto and told him to die." Jestine smirks at the chill that runs through Jack as he is reminded at just how close Ianto came to death.

"It doesn't matter. You were given orders and you disobeyed them. You shouldn't have even had the gun or knife on you." Jack struggles to stop from yelling.

"And they shouldn't have had a giant space whale that they were carving up for meat while it was still alive." Jestine retorts.

"This is not about what they were doing, it's about what you did." Jack seethes. "Do you even realise just how sick what you did was?"

"I'm assuming that you are referring to me scaring Dale with the knife. In which case I do not believe it was "sick." I thought it was time for him to get a taste of his own medicine." Jestine explains.

"By cutting him open while he was still alive?" Jack asks in disbelief. "You really don't understand just how horrible that is, how immoral?"

Jestine rolls her eyes. "I wasn't actually going to cut him open. It was all a scare tactic."

"Well congratulations you scared not only Dale but me too. I don't even know if I want you on my team if you think that is an acceptable thing to do. How are you any better than them if you do the same thing?"

"I have never once said that I was better than anyone. I will freely admit I have done many things that would terrify most people. But most people haven't had to go through what I have so excuse me if I don't give a shit about playing nice to some animals like that." Jestine glowers at Jack.

"If you want to be apart of this team then you will have to. I will not have you on my team if you don't know where the line is. Sure today it was the men we were after, but what about tomorrow? Or the day after or next week? I can't let you be on the team if you are going to be a risk to the other team members or the public." Jack warns.

Jestine scoffs at Jack's statement. "If you were so worried about the other's safety then you would have gotten rid of Gwen. She put the entire team's lives on the line just because Rhys was in a little bit of danger."

"I will be dealing with that later. For now we are focusing on you and the consequences of your actions." Jack stands firm against Jestine.

"You have a huge problem with authority and rules, you think you can do whatever you want without consequence. Just because that was how it worked with The Doctor does not mean you can do the same thing here. There are rules in place for a reason and I am sick of you just ignoring what is said to you." Jack rages.

"You will be suspended from all field work for the next two weeks. You will instead spend the time helping Ianto in the archives and getting up to date with all your paperwork." Jack orders.

Jestine slams her hands down on the desk. "No fucking way. You need me out on the field. We all know that besides you, I am the best agent you have. None of the others have the experience I have or the abilities I do." Jestine fumes.

Jack stands up with his hands rested on the desk, leaning over Jestine. "We do not need you out there. We survived before you were here and can in the two weeks you will be out of the field. No single agent is bigger than Torchwood. I think you need to remember that. And you will apologise to Gwen tomorrow when you see her"

"No fucking way will I apologise to that bitch." Jestine refuses.

"Then you won't be allowed back on the field until you do." Jack answers.

"Why the fuck should I even stay then, you clearly don't want me here. Just like always." Jestine turns to leave.

"Stop. I have had enough of these comments. You are going to explain to me what you mean by that." Jack demands.

"How dare you fucking demand that I give you answers. I owe you nothing. I never have and never will. After all the shit you have given me there is no way I will tell you a single fucking thing. And you know what, I don't even need to be here. Why should I put up with all this when I can be on some planet enjoying myself?" Jestine turns to glare at them before disappearing.

"Well that went well." Ianto mutters.

Jack sighs as he falls into his chair. "What do I do with her?"

"Give her time, hopes she comes back and reinforce the discipline if she does." Ianto suggest as he moves so that he is behind Jack.

He starts to slowly massage Jack's shoulders.

Jack groans as he feels the tension fade. "Has anyone told you that you have magical fingers?"

"Once or twice." Ianto smirks.

"Can I just stay here forever?" Jack allows himself to relax as the long slender fingers do their magic.

"You still need to deal with Gwen." Ianto reminds him.

Jack groans at the thought of facing the stubborn Welshwomen, especially after having to deal with Jestine.

"What can I do with her?" He asks.

"Well.." Ianto replies.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You sure you are ok?" Rhys asks Gwen as he once again catches sight of the bruise that had formed on Gwen's cheek after a fight with Jestine.

"I just don't think that you should have to put up with that. I know that Torchwood is the typical workplace but surely there is some kind of workplace bullying policy or something." Rhys shakes his head as he thinks of Jestine. She had seemed so nice when he talked to her but then she turns around and punches his fiancé for defending her choices during the mission.

Rhys' thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of the door bell.

"What the hell do you want?" Rhys demands as he finds Jack and Ianto on his doorstep. "Where were you when Jestine attacked Gwen? You said you would look after her, you can't even protect her from her own teammate."

"Look Rhys could you please let us in so we can explain everything." Ianto steps forward, hoping to calm the Welshman down.

"Fine," Rhys huffs before letting them in.

"Just how much has Gwen told you?" Ianto asks as Rhys leads them to their lounge room where Gwen was sitting on the couch.

"I told him all about how that bitch punched me." Gwen glares at Ianto, trying to worm his way into places where he didn't belong.

"Did you also explain how you slapped her first or the argument you two had?" Jack asks.

Gwen looks away guiltily.

"It doesn't matter. She still shouldn't have punched me." Gwen glares at the pair of them.

"Look we aren't here to work out who shouldn't have done what." Jack tries to calm Gwen down, it had been a long enough day without getting into another argument. "Neither of you did the right thing and you will both have to apologise to each other when you next see each other."

"If she comes back." Ianto mutters.

"What do you mean if she comes back? Did she go somewhere?" Rhys asks, while he still wasn't happy with what Jestine had done, the fact that Gwen had started it did lessen the anger a little.

"Yeah. She left The Hub in a huff saying she wasn't going to put up with this again and was leaving." Jack tells them.

"Good." Gwen crosses her arms.

Jack ignores the comment. "We are hoping after she has some time to cool off she will come back but with Jestine we just don't know." He sighs.

"Is that all you came around to say?" Gwen asks, annoyed at both Jack and Ianto for standing up for Jestine.

"No, we need to talk about what we are going to do with you two." Jack sits down on the couch adjacent to the one Gwen and Rhys were occupying.

"What do you mean, what you are going to do with us?" Rhys asks in slight horror. He had seen enough movies to know that when someone stumbled across something they weren't meant to see it rarely was a good thing to get a visit from people wanting to talk about what to do with you.

"It is normal Torchwood policy to Retcon any members of the public who become aware of Torchwood's existence." Ianto explains.

"I assume this Retcon is the amnesia pill you gave the blokes from the warehouse?" Rhys asks.

Ianto nods his head in conformation.

"No, we already talked about this, I already said I will not drug him and there is no way I will let either of you to." Gwen springs to her feet, almost as if ready to fight Jack and Ianto off.

"I know what you said Gwen. But you need to know you aren't in charge, you do not dictate what we do or don't do." Jack also stands up.

"If you want to Retcon Rhys then you will have to Retcon me too." Gwen challenges Jack.

"If that was what we needed to do then we would." Jack replies. "But that is not going to happen because we have a proposal for you two instead."

"What is your proposal?" Rhys asks, trying to stop Gwen and Jack getting into an argument.

"We are offering that you can keep your memories about Torchwood and everything that happened today." Ianto explains. "But there are conditions that you will need to adhere to otherwise you will get no choice in the matter."

"No, you can not force us to do anything." Gwen continues to fight.

"Gwen would you just shut up for a few minutes." Rhys yells at Gwen.

Gwen looks at Rhys in shock, she wasn't used to Rhys talking to her like that.

"Let's hear them out before we say no." Rhys gestures to Ianto to continue.

"It was pointed out by Gwen that you help keep her grounded and in touch with the outside world, giving her a different perspective from us which at times has proven to be useful." Ianto continues. "Due to this it was discussed at the length and decided if you agree to the terms set by us, it would be possible for you to not be Retconed."

"So what are these terms then, not anything like selling my soul or anything?" Rhys jokes.

Jack chuckles at the joke. "No nothing like that. We only get that if you sign up to the team." Rhys laughs at Jack's joke as Gwen looks on in surprise that the two seem to be getting along ok.

"You will be required to sign this sheet which states all the conditions." Ianto explains as he hands them as sheet of paper.

"The conditions are the following; in no way or form are you to inform any member of the public/military or other persuasion about your knowledge of Torchwood. You are not to disclose the existence of aliens to anyone. You are to report any suspected alien activity to either Gwen or one of us. You are not to profit in any way from your knowledge of either Torchwood or aliens." Ianto reads from the form.

"Breaking any of these rules except in the most extreme of circumstances will result in Retcon, no choice, no second chance." Jack cautions.

"And what if we don't agree to it." Gwen glares at Ianto.

"Then Rhys will be Retcon, along with you if it becomes necessary." Jack warns. "And we will do it without hesitation."

"It all sounds reasonable to me." Rhys looks for a pen to sign.

"No Rhys, they can't just blackmail us into signing this." Gwen tries to stop him.

"I think you will find we can." Jack smirks.

"Gwen there is no need for this. I am happy to sign, unless you don't want me to remember."

"What of course I want you to remember." Gwen frowns at Jack. This was entirely Jack's fault. Had he not ran off with that doctor of his, they would never have let Jestine joining the team and she wouldn't be stuck in this mess.

"Then I don't see why there is any problem then." Rhys signs the contract after locating the pen.

"We need you to sign it to Gwen. We need to know that you are both on board." Jack gently prompts Gwen.

Gwen glares at Rhys for a moment before she too signs the paperwork.

Jack gives them a broad smile. "Thank you both for that. Unfortunately you will not be able to get a copy of the paperwork but you have my promise that it will be honoured." Jack shakes hands with Rhys.

"Now, while we do enjoy your company, if you don't mind Rhys could we possibly have a few minutes to talk to Gwen alone?" Jack requests.

"What for?" Rhys asks, surely if it was a Torchwood matter it wouldn't matter if they said it in front of him, he had just signed a contract saying he would not tell anyone.

"We would like to discuss the argument that Gwen had with Jestine earlier today." Jack informs him.

"I guess I can go clean up the dishes then." Rhys walks out of the room.

"I don't care what you say, I will not apologise to Jestine. I meant everything I said." Gwen refuses to cooperate.

"Tough. You will apologise to Jestine." Jack retorts. "But that is not the only thing we wanted to talk to you about.

"It has been brought to my attention that a number of staff have been getting away with breaking the rules. This is stopping now. As of tomorrow you will be on desk duty for a week. This means you will help Ianto with the tourist centre and catch up on your paperwork. If you run out of things to do I will assign you new task but you will not be back on field for a week. And if you do not apologise to Jestine you will be stay on desk duty until you do."

Gwen begins to protest but Jack stops her mid sentence. "I don't care what you have to say about it. Those are the consequences from disobeying orders during the mission. You also need to realise you put the rest of the team in danger with your actions. I know you love Rhys and that he was in danger but that does not mean you should be reckless. How do you think Rhys would feel if you died because of him?"

"I was just trying to protect Rhys." Gwen protests. "You would do the same if someone you love was in danger."

Jack grits his teeth, he was sick of that attitude. "I know you were trying to do what you thought was the right thing by Rhys but you still disobeyed orders. And you really think it is easy for me to send Ianto out on the field. That I didn't want to give up my position for his safety. You aren't the only one who had a loved one in danger today. You should just consider yourself lucky that you don't have to deal with the fear everyday."

Gwen looks at Jack and opens her mouth before closing it again, seemly unable to think of what to say.

"I would also like you to apologise to the rest of the team. Just because none of us have a relationship like you and Rhys does not mean we are unable to love anyone. It was a very hurtful comment for you to make, even if it wasn't intended as such. Just keep in mind Gwen that just because our relationships don't seem conventional on the surface doesn't mean we love each other any less."

Gwen just nods, not knowing what to say.

"Please just try and get along with Jestine. I don't expect you two to become best friends or anything but I don't want anymore fights in The Hub. We fight enough enemies as it is without fighting each other."

Gwen reluctantly nods her head. She wasn't happy about having to apologise to Jestine but Jack did have a point about them not fighting each other. On the bright side the brat may not come back to Torchwood and things could return to the way they were before Jack left.

Jack stands up with a sigh of relief. "Well that's it for tonight. There will be a meeting tomorrow morning so make sure you are in on time."

Gwen sighs, she hates the early starts.

"Anyway we will be heading off. It's been a long day and I want nothing more than to just get home." Jack helps Ianto gather the paperwork.

"You on night shift again then?" Gwen asks, assuming that Jack was referring to the Hub.

"Transferred it to my wrist strap, nothing seems planned so we shouldn't get disturbed. We might actually get a peaceful night home for once." Jack grins at Ianto, day dreaming a little about them curled up on Ianto's couch watching a movie or just relaxing in bed.

Ianto feels a warmth wash through him when Jack refers to his flat as their home. While they had never actually talked about moving in together formally, since Jack had gotten back they hadn't spent a night away from each other.

"Oh. Gwen's mouth drops a little as she realises what Jack means.

"Say goodbye to Rhys for us." Jack tells Gwen as he and Ianto head to the door.

Gwen nods as she collects her thoughts.

"Bye." Ianto nods to Gwen as they leave.

**Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think. The next chapter should be up in the next week or so. It may take a little longer as it is a very intense and important chapter and one I really really want to be perfect. A special thank you to each and every person who has ever reviewed. It has helped my writing so much, I do feel like I have improved so much since starting this story and I couldn't have done it without you and I do love reading your views on the characters and their relationships. Till next time.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, it was so amazing to read the reviews. I'm glad that those who did review did enjoy the chapter, I did have a lot of fun writing that chapter. This chapter and the next should be the last of Meat and then Reset will be the next episode I will do. This chapter is very Jestine heavy so if you don't like her just be warned, although I would suggest giving this chapter a go as it does give a lot of information about Jestine. Please let me know what you think of this chapter as it has been something I have had in the back of my mind for probably over a year now and I would love to know if people thought it worked. Thank you once again to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted/favorited, each chapter I am just blown away from the response.**

**Warning: This chapter contains violence, murder, genocide (of aliens), mentions of assassinations as well as other illegal activity. I do not condone any of this kind of behaviour, it just adds to the character.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, although my family has gotten the cutest 10 week old beagle puppy so I guess that is better than nothing.**

"Are you ok?" Ianto ask Jack as they head up to his apartment.

Jack had been quiet the whole way home.

"Just tired." Jack replies as he waits for Ianto to unlock the door.

Ianto squeezes Jack's hand in understanding. It had been a long day for them all, but especially with Jack.

"How about you go lie down on the couch while I get us some coffee."

"Has anyone ever told you that you are a godsend?" Jack gives Ianto a peck on the lips. "I don't deserve you."

"Stop that Cariad. I don't care what anyone says, you are a good man and you deserve to be happy." Ianto strokes Jack's cheek as he pulls him in for a slow but passionate kiss.

"Thank you." Jack tells Ianto as they break the kiss and rest their foreheads together.

"I would do anything for you." Ianto tells Jack. "Now you go lie down and I'll get you a coffee."

Jack gives Ianto a final peck before heading to the lounge room.

Ianto tuts as he realises that Jestine had left her shoes lying around when she was last here.

"Hey Ianto could you do three cups instead." Jack calls out as Ianto is pushing Jestine's shoes into place.

Ianto heads to the lounge room to see why Jack needed an extra cup. Jack drank enough coffee as it was without having two at once.

Ianto walks in to see Jestine sitting on his couch.

"Hey, umm I wasn't sure if I would be welcomed but I just wanted to say I am sorry for everything I have put you through while I was here. And thank you. Thank you for taking me in when I had no where else to go and just everything." Jestine looks at both Jack and Ianto before glancing away. "I'll leave you alone now but could you pass on my thanks and apologies to the team. I doubt any of them want to ever see me again, especially Gwen."

"Are you going somewhere?" Ianto asks, confused by Jestine.

Jestine shrugs. "Why hang around where I'm not wanted."

"Who told you that?" Jack frowns. Sure they had had some difficulties with Jestine today but that didn't mean they wanted her gone.

"Come on, you don't have to pretend, it's pretty obvious you don't want me around. Not that I blame you. Still it was good while it lasted." Jestine gives them a small smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

"Look today wasn't a good day but that doesn't mean we want you gone. Just because someone does something that we don't like doesn't mean we just get rid of them. There will be repercussions for your actions but we still want you to be apart of the team." Jack tells Jestine passionately.

Jestine looks at them in disbelief. "You're kidding right. There's no way you would want to put up with me any longer. I'm actually surprised that you have put up with me this long, not many people would, or have really." Jestine mutters the last part but both Jack and Ianto pick up on the bitterness in her tone.

"We are serious. We don't want you going anywhere. Every single member of the team has done something that the rest of us didn't approve of. It doesn't mean we get rid of them. We just try and work out ways to stop it happening again." Ianto tries to convince Jestine.

Jestine looks between the two men suspiciously. "Why, why would you put up with me when you clearly thought what I did was wrong and immoral?"

"Because we are a family. And we don't turn our backs on each other. Anyway how could you learn and grow to be a better person if we just told you to go away and didn't teach you a better way to deal with things?" Ianto reaches out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Jestine just stares at Ianto's hand for a moment, unsure of what to say. "You're sure? You won't mind me being around?" She asks her voice filled with insecurity.

"Of course we are sure. And we want you around." Ianto gives her shoulder a squeeze.

"I, I. Thank you." Jestine gives both Ianto and Jack a smile.

"So how long was it for you?" Jack asks.

Jestine shrugs. "Couple of weeks. To be honest I wasn't planning on coming back."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Ran into an old friend. He convinced me to come back, to say goodbye at least. I just didn't believe him when he said that you would still welcome me back, even after everything I have done."

"Are you alright though?" Ianto asks. Jestine seemed different from when she had left only a few hours before. When she had left she was bursting with anger, now she seemed much more subdued, even a little sad.

Jestine shrugs. "Probably as all right as I ever will be."

"The thing is I need to tell you two something. Something I have never told a single person before, not even The Doc. I owe you both an explanation of why I did the things I did and why I'm who I am."

"You don't need to share anything, we understand that you have been through a lot, it would make anyone see the world differently." Ianto tries to comfort Jestine.

"No. I have to explain to you. Yes those things changed me, but they didn't change me forever, they didn't make me the person I am today." Jestine tells them passionately but sadly.

Jack and Ianto sit patiently for Jestine to explain what she was talking about.

"Its time I told you about why I killed those aliens. While what happened is no excuse for what I did today, it might help you understand why I acted the way I did."

Jack and Ianto nod, both a little proud that Jestine would chose them to tell something that was clearly a major event in her life. But they were also apprehensive about just what Jestine was going to tell them. All the stories they had heard from her already were disturbing, but this clearly was something worse.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So the beginning." Jestine mutters more to herself then them. "Yeah, ok, so I was like 12 or something. The Doc and I had had another huge argument, like we always did. So like normal I found the nearest pub to go get pissed at."

"So while I was there this guy starts hitting on me. Normally I probably wouldn't have thought twice, would have just had some fun behind the pub and then leave. But so wasn't in the mood for it so I turned him down. Stupid guy wouldn't take no for an answer so I did get rude with him."

"So he really wasn't happy with me turning him down. So him and his friends confronted me when I left. Unfortunately I was pissed so wasn't in the best shape to defend myself. I tried to run but they quickly caught up with me."

Jestine looks away from Jack and Ianto. "They then tossed me to the ground. They went to attack but I managed to kick a couple away. But then one of the guys, he grabbed me by leg and twisted it." Jestine winches as she relieves the memory.

"He twisted it till it snapped. And then they started to lay into me. It felt like hours of them punching me. But then they stopped, to catch their breath. I managed to use this to stumble away, I only got maybe a meter or two before they were after me but it was enough, I managed to jump to another time and place."

"Only problem was I was drunk and weak. I barely made it before passing out."

Jack and Ianto listen patiently, wondering how it fitted in with her killing a whole species of aliens.

"Next thing I remember is waking up. I was on a soft bed surrounded by light green walls. There was soft music in the background and I could just see sunlight shinning through an open window. And then I saw him." Jestine smiles as she remembers.

Jack and Ianto look at each other in surprise; they hadn't suspected there would be a guy involved.

"He had the most gorgeous lilac skin. And his eyes, I could just look at them all day. They were the brightest purple I have ever seen. His name was Noah. He was one of the people looking after me."

"He explained I had been found on the outskirts and that there had been a heated debate on whether they should let me in or not. Noah belonged to a race of aliens known as Ojeqi. The Ojeqi were in the middle of a war at the time so were weary of strangers and didn't want to bring the enemy in. Thankfully for me it was decided that I was safe to bring in."

"I could have just rung The Doc once I knew where I was and he could have picked me up but I knew I couldn't just leave, not without getting to know Noah first." Jestine explains with a dreamy smile on her face. "I did ring him to tell him I was ok but I wasn't ready to leave."

"Due to my injuries I needed a number of months care in which time me and Noah become pretty close. He helped me get better while teaching me about his culture. They were in a war against Keiok. Noah lived with his family in a village about a 2 hour ride from the main city. He was an apprentice doctor; his father was a doctor as had his father before him."

"He sounds like he was very special to you." Ianto comments.

Jestine gives a small far away smile. "He was so special. By time I had healed I was besotted with him. I asked if I could stay in the village, live amongst them. It was agreed and I lived with Noah and his family. They tested me to see what job I would be best suited to. Not surprisingly it was decided I would be best as a soldier. I quickly proved myself."

"Me and Noah became engaged within 6 months of me arriving on the planet. We were married a few months later in their fall. It is such a magical time there. It was just a small ceremony, with Noah's family and The Doctor there. He walked me down the aisle." Jestine grins at the memory. "It might have been small but it was perfect."

"We had a little boy within a year of being married. He was just so perfect; he had his father's eyes. We called him Oliver." Jestine pulls out a photo of the boy and his father.

"We lived there for the next five years. Things weren't perfect. Me and Noah had our fights and Oliver was like any other child, had his good and bad days. But to me nothing could be more perfect. For the first time ever I was living a normal live with people that I loved and that loved me." Jestine tells them.

"Then we were betrayed." Jestine's tone turns bitter. "I, along with the other soldiers in our area were sent to protect the north. We were told that there was a major regiment of Keiok coming and if they managed to get pass the mountains then we would lose war."

"But it was all a lie, a ploy to get us away from our families. The government had sold us out. An outsider alien race had gone to the government and told them they could protect them from the Keiok, in exchange for 28% of the population. Of course the government chose a 28% that didn't contain any of them or their family."

"We came back to our village destroyed. It was one of twenty that had been targeted. The government thought people would willingly go along with what they were told to do. What they didn't realise was that someone had tipped the villages off. So people fought to not be taken." Jestine looks down as she remembers.

"There were bodies everywhere. Some houses were just rubble. I went to our house..." Jestine's voice begins to quiver. "Noah had been beaten to death. He had tried to protect Oliver but they were too strong for him." Tears start to fall from Jestine's eyes. "And Oliver, Oliver was gone. They had taken my baby. I had failed them both. These people came and killed Noah and took my child and I wasn't even there to protect them." Tears are streaming down Jestine's face by now.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault. You thought you were protecting your family, you weren't to know what the government was going to do." Ianto moves over to the couch and wraps Jestine in a hug. She is too distressed to even pull away as she would normally.

After a few minutes Jestine manages to regain her composure. She pulls away slightly but stays within Ianto's embrace.

"There were a few survivors, they told us what happened. So we went to the parliament. But the aliens had already left. Because of the time it took to get everywhere and find out what happened we had ended up a day behind, we never stood a chance of catching the aliens before they escaped."

"We did manage to overturn the government though." Jestine tells them with a hint of pride.

"Then what did you do?" Jack asks, his heart breaking for Jestine.

"I spent the next 8 months tracking down the bastards." Jestine replies.

"What did they want with the people? Who were they?" Ianto asks, shocked at the revelations.

Jestine sighs. "I don't know their real name, only what the government called them. Lioceat, it meant saviour. As for what they wanted, people, other than that I really didn't care. I just wanted to get all the people they took." Jestine tells them.

"So you got Oliver back?" Jack asks.

Jestine looks away, tears starting to form in her eyes again. "No, he was no where to be found. There was evidence he was with the group when they were taken off the planet but he wasn't in the group we rescued."

"Was that why you killed them?" Jack asks.

Jestine shakes her head. "They were always going to die. They were monsters and I couldn't let them do the same thing to anyone else. But everyone wanted to show them mercy, the mercy they didn't show us. But they took my family away from me. There was no way they were going to get off easily."

"How did you kill them?"

"I managed to get hold of a mixture that was toxic to them. The aliens, they didn't have a home planet, the whole lot of them lived on a massive ship and they sent smaller ones to collect. The plan was to get the people from the ship and then release the gas. It would have killed them quickly, peacefully; they wouldn't have even known they were dying." Jestine explains.

"But you changed the plan, didn't you?" Jack asks.

Jestine nods. "They didn't deserve that. They didn't try and make things painless for us. The thing was that the mixture had to be exact to kill them quickly enough that they wouldn't notice. If the mixture wasn't right it would still kill them, but slowly and painfully." Jestine explains. "Once I realised that Oliver wasn't there, I changed the mixture, just enough to make it delay their deaths, increase their suffering."

Jack and Ianto are both a little taken aback by Jestine's admission.

"I'm sorry for what you had to go through." Jack tells her. "While I don't condone what you did, I understand why you did it. I also see why you don't carry any guilt about it.

"I lied to you." Jestine states. "I never slept much anyway, before it happened. But then after it I pretty much stopped for months. I couldn't sleep because every time I closed my eyes I would see them withering in pain, hear they pleads for mercy. It was set up so I had 2 minutes to get out of there before it went off. But I was caught before I set it off. I had no choice but to set it off while I was captive." Jestine glances away. "They were monsters but their last moments will haunt me for the rest of my life."

Jack and Ianto share a worried look, it was bad enough what she did, but to witness, it was a wonder the girl was even functioning.

"The thing is, the mixture, it wasn't just toxic to them, it was toxic to me too. I let myself get caught. Once I found that Oliver wasn't there, I wanted to die. I had nothing left to live for. I wanted so badly to die. I could feel it burning through my veins, clogging up my throat so I couldn't breath. I could feel death coming." Jestine tells them, her voice filled with regret and sorrow.

"What happened?" Ianto enquires; clearly she had survived but how?

Jestine looks at them, her eyes filled with so many emotions. "I was rescued. An old friend of mine found out what was happening and transported me from the ship. He was only just in time. I almost died." Jestine tells them with disappointment. "I was so close and it was snatched away from me."

"Instead of peace and release from my torments I was dammed to live and remember each and every day what I did."

Jack and Ianto sit there speechless, barely believing what they were hearing.

"I wasn't lying when I told you that there were fates worse than death. I've had to live it every single day since, knowing not only did I kill a whole species but also that I let my family down, that they died because of me."

Jack feels like telling her that it isn't her fault that the aliens killed her family, but he knew it was just a waste of breath, he just hoped that maybe one day she would realise that it wasn't her fault.

"What did you do then? After you killed the aliens but were still alive?" Ianto feels that Jestine hadn't completely finished her story.

"I was so lost. I had no reason to live. So I did what anyone with no reason to live does. I went to Riverter, got drunk, had meaningless sex, ran cons, that kind of thing." Jestine informs them.

"Probably not really what anyone who has no reason to live does." Ianto replies.

"Cons? What kind of cons did you run?" Jack asks. Since being with The Doctor, Jack no longer viewed cons the same way.

"All kinds of things. Pretty much whatever would cause the most pain to the victims." Jestine looks away ashamed.

"What other things did you do?" Ianto picks up on the last part of Jestine's answer.

"Lots of things. I kinda became the go to girl if you wanted anything illegal done. All kinds of cons, forgery, robbery, assassinations, anything you can name I did during that time." Jestine admits.

"How long did you do that?" Ianto asks, trying to not think too much about all the horrible things that Jestine must have done.

Jestine shrugs. "I don't really know for sure. I no longer cared about anything, so didn't keep track of time. I think it would have been about a year or two."

"What made you come here then?" Jack felt it strange her just leaving and coming to Torchwood if she was in such a bad place.

"I ran into my old friend. He talked to me, tried to convince me I did have something worth living for. It didn't work so as a last resort he suggested I go somewhere to try and get a clear head. He suggested this time; it's so different from the time that I came from." Jestine enlightens them.

"So you didn't come here to join Torchwood?" Ianto asks.

"No, I just happened to stumble upon you lot and Jack had told me so much about you all that I had to follow and watch you. And there was no way I couldn't jump in and help you that night." Jestine confesses.

"Why did you say you came here for Torchwood then?" Jack asks.

"I thought it was easier to lie then tell the truth and have you wanting to know everything. I've never told anyone any of that before and if you had asked me when you first came back I doubt I would have been able to tell you." Jestine admits.

"I'm glad that you feel comfortable enough with us that you can tell us that sort of thing." Jack comforts Jestine as he tries to process everything she had told him.

"Look if you don't want anything to do with me after hearing that I understand." Jestine tries to play it cool but its clear that she is terrified of them rejecting her.

"I won't lie, it was certainly one of the most intense stories I have heard, but that doesn't mean we don't want you around. Like we said before we are a family, we don't turn our backs on anyone." Ianto pulls Jestine in for a hug. She is so relieved that she actually hugs back.

Jack smiles sadly as he watches his partner comfort Jestine. His own life had been filled with loss and he certainly would not have wished it on someone so young, he just hoped that Jestine would be able to start healing now that she had shared the burden with someone.

"So it's ok for me to go in to Torchwood tomorrow?" Jestine asks as the hug ends.

"I expect you to be at work like normal. We will be having a meeting in the morning to address issues that have been brought to my attention." Jack informs Jestine.

Jestine nods.

Jack sighs as he tries to work out how to tell her the next part. "Your original two week field suspension will stand. Another week will be added due to your insubordinates." Jack explains, bracing himself for Jestine's argument.

Jestine takes a deep breath, calming herself down. "I am so pissed off by that at the moment but I do understand. My time away did give me time to think. I was so caught up in all my pain and everything that I didn't stop to think about anyone else and how my actions could affect them. While I hate that you won't let me on the field for three weeks I know I have to accept it, that its time I grew up and stopped acting like a spoilt brat."

"While I don't agree with all that Gwen said, I will admit that she did tell some truth. I know its time to start my repentance, if you will help me. I've spent so long not caring about anything that I don't really know how to act." Jestine confesses.

"We will help you." Ianto smiles at her reassuringly.

"The whole team will help if you just ask." Jack adds.

Jestine doesn't seem sure about that suggestion.

Jack glances at the time.

"I think we should all be heading to bed now. I know you don't sleep much Jestine, and after what you told us, I don't blame you, but it could be worthwhile to try and get some sleep." Jack suggests.

"While I understand you suggestion, I would rather find a roof some where and just watch the stars for a little."

"Come home though if you start to feel tired at all. If you need to you can call us and we will come and get you." Ianto tells her. "And don't stay out if it rains, find some shelter, we don't want you getting sick."

"Yes mum." Jestine teases.

"You are giving me more grey hair than any child could." Ianto responds.

Jack laughs at the good nature banter between the two. It gave him hope, seeing Jestine joking around, maybe they could help her. After what she had been through he had no doubt that she would always carry emotional scars, but maybe they could help them fade just a little.

"Night." Jestine smiles before disappearing.

"Do you think we can help her?" Ianto asks as he looks at the empty space that Jestine had occupied only moments before.

"I hope so." Jack replies before leading Ianto to the bedroom.

**Thank you once again for reading. Please let me know what you think. I will try and have the next chapter up as soon as possible, although things are hectic with the new puppy so it could be a little while. Till next time.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Sorry for the delay, things have just been so hectic around here, forgotten how much work and energy puppies are. To make up for the delay this is a long chapter, with lots of Janto in it. Some slight Gwen bashing, although I have tried my best to be fair to Gwen. Well aside from the command thing. I think it was so stupid how she was made second in command. Clearly she shouldn't have as she was the newest member. It really should have been Owen, although I believe both him and Tosh would be to busy with their own work without adding more, therefore leaving Ianto, who is the longest serving Torchwood member after Jack. So I have added a bit on that that goes how I think it should have gone. Once again thank you to everyone reading/reviewing/favorting and alerting, its just been amazing.**

**Disclaimer: I don not own Torchwood, although I am going to the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular on Saturday so that's exciting.**

**Warning: M/M sex so if you don't like it don't read. There may be swearing and mentions of violence.**

Ianto's eyes flutter open as the light drift through his blinds.

He turns his head to the side and gazes upon the blue eyes starting back at him.

"Have you been watching me in my sleep again?" Ianto asks before yawning.

Jack has the decency to look sheepish. "You are just so gorgeous, how could I resist." Jack grins before pressing his lips to Ianto's.

Ianto looks away in embarrassment as Jack pulls away, a slight tinge in his cheeks.

"I'm just so glad that you are still here for me to watch sleeping." Jack confesses as he strokes Ianto's cheek. "I really thought that he was going to shoot you."

"I did too." Ianto confesses. "But it didn't happen and I'm alive."

"I know, but I was so scared. I'm so scared every time you go out on the field that you won't come back."

"I know Cariad, but we both know there is no way I'm going to stop going out on the field, especially with both Gwen and Jestine suspended."

Jack sighs. "I know. I'm just being selfish, I want you around for as long as possible."

"I want to be with you for as long as possible too. But with Torchwood, we both know that won't be long." Ianto then rolls them over so he is straddling Jack. "So we should make the most of it." He smirks before leaning down and kissing Jack.

Jack groans, allowing Ianto to slip his tongue in his mouth.

Their tongues tangle together in a slow dance, each savouring the others taste.

Jack groans again as Ianto's talented fingers teases his nipples into hard stubs.

"God." Jack gasps as they break for breath.

Ianto grins as his hands travel further down to the waistband of Jack's boxers.

"Please no teasing." Jack pleads as Ianto kneads the bulge under the fabric.

Ianto happily obliges and strips Jack of his boxers.

He licks his lips as he takes in the sight of Jack's cock. He had never thought the sight of another man's cock would make him so hard, but Ianto felt like he could split rock when Jack's penis sprung from its confines.

He licks at the tip, loving the moans that escaped Jack's mouth.

Ianto slowly draws more of the appendage into his mouth till his nose brushes Jack's pubic hair.

He inhales, surrounding himself with his lovers smell.

Ianto hollows his cheeks as he sucks up and down Jack's dick.

Jack grips the sheets tightly as Ianto expertly sucks up and down.

He lets out a groan of disappointment as Ianto lets go of his penis with an obscene pop.

Jack watches with lust filled pupils as Ianto pulls out the lube.

He watches in fascination as Ianto coats fingers before teasing his hole.

He groans as Ianto inserts the first finger.

Jack feels his cock become impossibly hard as he watches Ianto insert another finger and stretches himself out.

Ianto lets out a moan as he adds another finger and brushes his prostrate.

He groans as he fucks himself on his fingers imagining that it's Jack's cock instead.

"Enough." Jack grab hold of Ianto's free arm, his pupils completely blown so no blue could be seen. "I want to feel your heat around me."

Ianto moves so he is once again straddling Jack's hips, groaning as he feels Jack's penis rest against his hole.

Jack pulls Ianto down for a kiss as Ianto lowers himself onto Jack.

They moan into each other's mouths as they let the feeling roll over them.

Ianto breaks off the kiss as he slowly rises himself up so that only the very tip of Jack's dick is still inside before pushing back down.

Ianto struggles to keep his eyes from rolling back as he impales himself on Jack.

Ianto rises himself up again and this time Jack meets his thrust down with an upward thrust of his own.

Both men groan as they pick up the pace.

"Not going to last much longer." Jack groans as Ianto's heat surrounds him once more.

Ianto leans down, capturing Jack's lips in a messing but passionate kiss.

One more thrust and Ianto groans. His eyes roll back as his mind explodes with pleasure. His cum squirts out, coating both their stomachs.

Jack last only another thrust as Ianto clamps down around him before he too comes hard.

Ianto collapses on top of Jack as he comes down from his orgasm.

"I love you so much." Jack tells him as he brushes away hair that was sticking to Ianto's damp forehead.

"Love you too." Ianto lets out a small moan of loss as he allows Jack's now flaccid cock to slip out of him.

Jack smiles at the Welshman, his heart filled with love for him.

Ianto groans as he looks down at the mess on their chest. Jack lets out a chuckle. Ianto glares before pulling out a wipe from his draw.

Jack grabs the wipe from him and carefully cleans up every last remnant of Ianto's orgasm from their stomachs.

Ianto gives him a grateful smile as he feels sleep creep upon him once more.

Jack makes quick work of his own stomach before tossing the wipe in the direction of the bin, not really caring if it got its target or not.

Ianto snuggles up against Jack as he lies back down. "We still have a few hours before we need to get up." Jack runs his fingers through Ianto's hair.

"Sleep sounds good." Ianto's accent is thicker than normal through tiredness and Jack has to hold back a groan. The things Ianto does to him.

"Insatiable." Ianto mutters before allowing sleep to claim him once more.

Jack lets out a chuckle as he closes his eyes. While he doubted he would get much more sleep, he was content to just lie there and listen to Ianto's quiet snores, not that the Welshman would ever admit to snoring.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

When Ianto next wakes up the space beside him is empty and cold.

He does his best to not be too disappointed, it wasn't like it was the first time he had woken up to Jack gone. He had just thought that things were different between them now.

Ianto pulls on a pair of old tracksuit pants and t-shirt and makes his way to the kitchen for his first cup of coffee for the day, trying to convince himself that Jack had just gone on a Weevil call or something.

He is shocked by the sight that greets him.

Jack is there at his stove, cooking pancakes.

Jestine is sitting on the bench, stealing globs of uncooked mixture.

Ianto watches in amusement as Jack smacks Jestine's hand.

"How many times do I have to tell you, wait till they are cooked, you keep eating the mixture and there won't be any left to cook." Jack reprimands her.

Jestine rolls her eyes while unsuccessfully trying to steal more mixture.

"One more time and you won't get any." Jack threatens.

"Better uncooked." Jestine shrugs.

Jack sighs. "How about you stop being a nuisance and go make the coffee. Ianto would probably trust you with it more than me."

Jestine huffs but hops off the bench and moves towards the machine.

Ianto decides, as much fun as it is to watch the two, it is probably time to make his presence known.

"I don't think I can trust either of you with my coffee machine or kitchen."

Jack turns around quickly, sending bits of batter everywhere.

He looks at the mess sheepishly as Jestine laughs.

"You really didn't have to prove my point." Ianto sighs dramatically.

"I didn't realise you were up. I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed." Jack pouts at Ianto inadvertently wrecking his plans.

"Well I'm certainly surprised." Ianto moves over and gives Jack a peck on the lips.

"What time did you end up getting home?" Ianto asks Jestine as Jack ushers him to a seat.

Jestine shrugs. "Not long ago. Oh and that reminds me, there's another Weevil in the cells, I wasn't sure if you just wanted it tagged or kept so I put it in for you two to decide."

Jack turns to look at Jestine, although this time he makes sure to not make a mess. "What were you doing Weevil hunting? You are on field suspension that means no Weevil hunts."

"Would you have rather that I just let it roam the streets and possibly attack someone?"

Jack decides it's not worth the fight. "Fine, if there is a danger to the public you can, but otherwise you are not allowed to go Weevil hunting."

"Not even in my own time?" Jestine asks as she pours the coffee.

"No, not even in your own time." Jack replies as he serves up the pancakes.

Ianto decides to intervene before an argument could start. "Thank you both of you for this, it is a nice surprise to have someone cook and make the coffee for me."

Jack grins with pride. Jestine just shrugs. "As long as you don't ask me to cook, I don't think either of you deserve that." 

"You really can't be that bad." Ianto comments.

"Oh, yes I am. I don't know why but I just can't cook. Noah reckoned it was cause I was always focusing on a million things at once, that if I slowed down and focused on just cooking I could do alright."

"At least you can make a good cup of coffee." Jack raises his cup in praise.

"Other than sex, a good cup of coffee is the best way to start the day." Jestine replies.

Ianto rolls his eyes, Jestine was as bad, if not worse than Jack.

"Jestine, after the meeting today, I want you to have a talk to Owen. I think if you told him what you told Ianto and I last night he may be able to help you." Jack suggests.

Jestine drops her fork with a clang. "No, no way am I telling him anything. What was said last night stays between us three, no one else is to know." Jestine tells them forcefully. 

Jack and Ianto are both taken aback by Jestine's reaction. Sure she was a private person but surely she would like help to heal from the hurt that clearly was still quite raw.

Jestine takes a calming breath. "I understand that you want to help and that you think telling Owen would be the best course of action but I really don't want the others to know." Jestine looks away, ashamed. "Those things I did, I'm not proud of them and I know the others will think the same. And I can't handle what they are going to think of me once they know."

Jack reaches out and rests his hand over hers. "I can assure you, every single one of us have done something that we regret, we will not look down on you or judge you for what you did." Jack tries to reassure her.

Jestine look Jack in the eyes, fear swimming through the blue of her eyes.

"I know they will, how could they not? And I do really like it here. I feel like I belong somewhere again and I really don't want to have to leave."

Ianto's heart breaks at Jestine's words. While she puts up a tough exterior, it was becoming clear that she expected to be rejected and abandoned at any moment.

"No matter what, you will always be welcomed at Torchwood. It doesn't matter what you did in the past. What is important is the here and now." Ianto tries to reassure her.

"You promise?" Jestine can't hide the insecurity she is feeling.

"We promise." Jack gives her hand a squeeze.

"Thanks, both of you. I didn't think there would be a single person who could know what you two know about me and still want me around." Jestine gives them a small but sincere smile.

They continue to eat in silence.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So you're back then." Owen exclaims as he see Jestine.

"Can't get rid of me that easily." Jestine replies with a grin.

"Well I'm glad." Tosh smiles at her.

Jestine gives her a smile in return.

Gwen comes breezing in before the conservation can continue.

She takes one look at Jestine before storming off to the shooting range.

"Guess that's my cue to go apologise." Jestine sighs. She knew what she had said was rude to Gwen but she did mean it, well the meaning behind it.

"Good luck." Tosh tells her hopefully.

"Going to need all the luck I can get." Jestine mutters as she heads to the shooting range.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"You ok?" Tosh asks Ianto as she watches him make the first round of coffee for the day. While on a passing glance he seemed ok, Tosh had noticed that he seemed nervous about something.

"I'm fine, just fine." Ianto answers somewhat unconvincingly.

"You know you can tell me anything you are worried about." Tosh tries to reach out to Ianto emotionally. Ever since the Lisa incident she has taken Ianto's words to heart and tried to get to know him better. Doing so rewarded her with a close friendship with the Archivist, even if he was still somewhat reserve when it came to his feelings.

Ianto sighs. He wasn't sure if it was something he wanted to share but he knew he needed to talk to someone before bringing it up with Jack.

"Last night when we were at Gwen's Jack referred to my place as home." Ianto explains.

"That's good isn't it?" Even with their close friendship, Tosh still couldn't always know how Ianto felt about such matters.

Ianto gives a small smile as he remembers. "Yeah, it was good. I want him to think of it as his home. That's the problem though. We've never really talked about it but I want to ask Jack to move in with me."

Tosh responses in the only way possible, she lets out a high pitched squeal.

Owen who was sitting at his desks gives her a strange look but turns back to whatever he had been doing once Tosh signals that she would tell him later.

Ianto flushes red at Tosh's reaction.

"That's great Ianto. I'm so happy for you. It's about time you two got your act together."

"You think he will say yes?" Ianto asks, insecurity clear in his voice.

"Of course he will. Why would he say anything else?" Tosh reassures him.

"But he might. What if this is too much? What if I'm trying to push him into something he doesn't want?" Ianto lets his nerves get the better of him.

"When is the last time you two have slept in different beds from each other?" Tosh asks.

"When Jack was away." Ianto answer sadly. While Jack was back and had sort of explained why he had left, it did still hurt a little.

"Precisely, Jack loves you and I think he would love to move in with you." Tosh pulls Ianto into a hug. "Stop worrying so much, nothing is going to get between you and Jack."

Ianto shifts uncomfortably. It wasn't that he thought Tosh would lie to him, he just found it hard to believe that Jack even looked at him, let alone loved him.

"I know you have your insecurities, but he really does love you. You can see it when he looks at you. He is completely besotted with you." Tosh smiles at her friend. The poor guy had been through so much already and he deserved some happiness. She was glad that Jack had finally gotten his act together, had he kept hurting Ianto like he had in the past, Tosh would have had to teach him a lesson.

"So you really think he will say yes?" Ianto asks, smiling, starting to almost believe her.

"If he doesn't I will hit him till he comes to his senses." Tosh threatens.

Ianto gives a chuckle. "Thanks." He was grateful he had such a great friend in Tosh, especially during the time that Jack had been gone.

Tosh smiles before she makes her way back to her desks.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jestine stands back as she watches Gwen shoot at the target.

Gwen had been aware of Jestine's presence from the moment she had entered the shooting range but choose to ignore her and instead shoot out her anger.

"You're a pretty good shot." Jestine comments as Gwen lowers the gun, having emptied the cartridge.

Gwen glares at her for a moment before beginning to pack up her gear.

"Look, I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry. I shouldn't have said those things to you." Jestine gives a lousy attempt at an apology.

"Do you actually mean that or are you just trying to get into Jack's good books again." Gwen retorts.

Jestine huffs, she had tried, she just wasn't one for apologising. "Truth be told, I meant what I said to you. I do believe you need to realise that your team mates aren't the heartless monsters that you seem to think they are and that they have been through a lot to get where they are. But at the same time, I am sorry for how I said it to you. There was no need for me to confront you in front of everyone and I shouldn't have insulted you to try and get my message across."

"Not much of an apology is it." Gwen glares, although it doesn't have the same malice in it that it did minutes before.

"I know, I'm terrible at them. But I'm trying. You have to believe me, I really am sorry for hurting you. I just wanted to make you realise that what you were saying was really hurtful to the others but I know I went too far. I guess I just let my jealously take control."

Jestine looks away, almost in shame. "A lot has been going on for me lately and seeing you with Rhys, it just reminded me of what I can never have. You just don't realise how lucky you are and it just made me so angry that you could have so much while things just don't work out for me."

Gwen takes a moment to think about what Jestine was saying. She had never thought of it like that. She had taken it for granted growing up with two parents that loved you, and Rhys was someone who was always going to be there for her. It shocked her to realise that Jestine probably hadn't had that at all in her life. She found she could understand Jestine's reaction, although she was still angry at Jestine.

"Do you really think that I don't know love because I've never experience the death of a loved one?" Gwen asks.

Jestine takes a moment to think through her answer. "Its not that I don't think you know love. Its just love after loss is different. While I'm glad that you haven't had to go through that pain, it really annoyed me that you did seem to think that you were better than them because you see the world in a more positive light." Jestine tries her best to explain.

Gwen takes a breath. She was still angry, but she knew that she had to find a way to get along with Jestine. Gwen swallows her pride. "I accept your apology. And I'm sorry for the things I said to you too."

Jestine smiles at Gwen. "Thank you, and you don't have a reason to apologise. You were right. I am a monster and I should stop pretending that I'm not."

Gwen looks away in guilt. While she had been angry, she hadn't actually meant to hurt Jestine but clearly she had hit a sore spot with that insult.

"I don't actually think you are a monster." Gwen tries to make amends.

"I appreciate you saying that but its true, you mightn't actually believe it but it is true. You don't know half the things I have done."

Gwen doesn't know what to say in response to her.

They stand there awkwardly for a few minutes till Ianto calls out to them to let them know the team meeting was starting in five minutes.

As Jestine turns to leave Gwen stops her.

"If you had been in my position yesterday, if it had been someone you loved, would you have done the same?"

Jestine turns around to face Gwen. "I don't disagree with what you did. You did what you thought was right.

Gwen takes a moment to try and work out whether that was a yes or no.

"But if it had been you, would you really have been able to let someone you love die?"

"While I don't think it would have happened like that yesterday, if it did came down to it, I would not hesitate to let someone I loved die if I needed to." Jestine confesses.

Gwen doesn't know how to respond to that answer. She watches as Jestine leaves, knowing that she could never just let Rhys die, no matter the consequences. The events before Abaddon were proof of that. She just couldn't understand how Jestine could be so sure of her answer.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Jack clears his throat for attention once everyone was seated. Ianto rolls his eyes at the unnecessary action but keeps quiet.

"Events of late have brought to my attention that standards in discipline have been slipping. There have been a number of occasions where members of this team have directly or indirectly disobeyed my orders. While I know some of it is my own fault, it is stopping now. While I appreciate how you all handled my absence, I am back and in charge." 

Jack pauses to make sure that he still has the team's attention, well as much was he was going to get.

"From now on there will be new rules and they will be followed. If not there will be consequences. These will range from cleaning up duties to suspensions. On that note, Gwen is suspended from field work for one week and Jestine for three weeks."

"This means for the next week we will be down two agents. This means you.." Jack looks around at Tosh, Owen and Ianto.. "will need to step up and be prepared to take on more field work."

They nod their agreement.

"Next topic. While you all worked well during my absence, I realise that there needs to be a formal arrangement for taking command if another situation should occur where I am unavailable."

"From now on Ianto will be my official second."

Gwen just gapes at Jack in shock, surely it should be her, after all she did take over when he was away and what would Ianto know about taking charge.

"You're kidding me right?" Gwen challenges Jack.

"No I am not. I have given it a lot of thought and Ianto is the right choice. He is the longest serving Torchwood member here other than me. He also knows how to run this place. If you have a problem with that you can hand in your resignation." Jack refuses to back down.

"But I was the one in charge while you were gone. I made sure they knew what to do, I ran the place." Gwen argues.

"But how much did you really do?" Owen asks. "Sure we let you think you were in charge but think about it, how much did we actually listen to you. And it was Ianto who did all the paperwork, that covered Jack's arse with the powers that be."

Gwen looks at Owen gobsmacked, how dare he talk to her like that. And to tell lies, she did everything.

"I was the one who told you what to do when you had no clue." Gwen argues back.

"Well not really, most of the orders you gave we were going to do any way." Tosh adds, trying to be nice but she felt she had to make sure that Jack knew the truth. "And when we didn't know what to do, it was generally Jestine who knew what to do."

"No, I was in charge." Gwen looks at the team angrily, how dare they tell such lies.

"No we let you think you were in charge and just went about what we normally do." Owen tells her bluntly.

"It really was Ianto who was in charge, well him and Jestine when it came to the field." Tosh confesses.

Jestine shrugs. "Not really in charge, I just gave suggestions."

Jack decides to step in before things get too heated. "Who was in charge while I was gone is not important now. What is important is that in an event where I am unable to take charge, Ianto will be."

"So what happens if you and Ianto are both not here, you know, like on a romantic getaway or something?" Jestine asks.

Ianto can't help but blush. Sure the team knew about him and Jack but he still couldn't stop himself when Jestine said things like that.

"Yes, I am aware there will be times when both Ianto and I are away. In these situations Owen will be in charge. Tosh I know you would rather be doing your own thing, otherwise I would have chosen you."

Tosh nods, she was so glad that Jack hadn't given the responsibility to her.

"But you can't Jack. You hired me to be your second." Gwen protest.

Jack looks at Gwen in surprise. "What ever gave you that idea?"

"You hired me to replace Suzie, your second in command." Gwen can't believe that Jack is doing this.

Jack shakes his head. "No, I hired you as a field agent and police liaison, something I might add you do not do."

"But you told me I was replacing Suzie." Gwen argues.

"No, I told you I had a position vacant, by which I meant field agent. Why would I have had you as a replacement for Suzie, you wouldn't been able to do what she did."

Gwen huffs at this. "I do do everything she did."

"So you deal with all the artefacts and technology we come across?"

"No." Gwen scrunches her nose at the thought. "That's Ianto's and Tosh's job."

"It wasn't before Suzie died. They took on those aspects of her job because you couldn't. You were never directly replacing Suzie, you were just another person to have on the field." Jack explains, angry that Gwen would even think that.

Gwen goes to open her mouth but shuts it again once she realises that she was beat.

"Now that that is out of the way." Jack briefly looks at Gwen as if challenging her to try to argue any more. "We seem to have a number of issues working as a team. Therefore I think it is time for some team-bonding."

Everyone besides Jestine groans at this suggestion. Jestine just looks confused.

"I don't understand, how does one do team-bonding?" Jestine asks.

The team look at Jestine in doubt, how could someone not understand what team-bonding was.

"You're not serious are you?" Owen asks her.

"Well yeah. Like I've heard of up to three people being able to bond together but that was like ages in the future, none of you lot would be able to do that." Jestine replies, leaving the team aside from Jack confused.

"That's not the kind of bonding I meant." Jack tries to work out how to explain to her. "Team-bonding means hanging out or doing activities that are designed to build relationships within the team."

"Oh, I get it now. I don't know how you lot deal with English all the time, its just so hard to understands." Jestine comments. "Just one more question, while it makes a little more sense now, how do cannibals help with team bonding?"

"The camping was meant to be the team-bonding, not the cannibals, I didn't even know there were cannibals." Jack answers annoyed.

"Can we go camping, I've never been before?" Jestine's eyes light up with a child like sparkle.

"No, no way am I ever going camping again." Owen objects.

"How come you've never gone camping before?" Tosh asks, curious.

"Why would I, I've never spent much time around humans." Jestine's answer doesn't answer anything.

Jestine looks around at the team who all bar Jack have confused looks.

"For some reason only humans camp." Jestine explains.

"And you thought I was lying." Jack pouts.

"Now back to the topic at hand. Team-bonding. No camping. I was thinking a picnic for lunch. Gwen if you want you can ring Rhys and see if he can come." Jack suggests.

"Right team, I want you all to work on your paper work till lunch." Jack orders.

"I assume it's my responsibility to organise the picnic?" Ianto asks.

"No you don't worry about a thing. I will organise everything." Jack gives Ianto a reassuring smile.

"Two meals in one day. You better be careful or I'll expect you to make dinner too." Ianto teases, temporarily forgetting that their team mates were around.

"Did he make breakfast?" Tosh asks, barely controlling a squeal.

Ianto blushes as he realises the others were around.

"Tried to make him breakfast in bed but he ruined the surprise." Jack pouts.

Ianto rolls his eyes at Jack's childish behaviour.

"You better be careful Harkness, looks like Teaboy is domesticating you." Owen teases.

"There is nothing wrong with a man who knows his way around a kitchen." Tosh tells Owen.

"I think you are the one who needs to be careful. Looks like Tosh might be trying to domesticate you." Jack returns barbs.

Owen reluctantly admits defeat.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

Ianto nervously knocks on Jack's office door.

Jack looks up and beams when he sees it is Ianto.

"I told you, I have the picnic sorted." He tells him as he gets up from his desk.

"This isn't about the picnic. Do you mind if I talk to you about something?" Ianto asks nervously.

Jack is filled with dread. Ianto was going to dump him, there was no other reason he would want to talk to him. After everything he had been through during the year that never was, now that he had his Ianto he was going to lose him again.

"Sure, go ahead." He tries to keep a cool exterior, pretending that he doesn't care that the one reason he kept fighting during the torture was being taken away from him.

"Um, so you know last night." Ianto starts off nervously. Sure Tosh had said it was a good idea, but now that he was here in Jack's office, he wasn't so sure.

Jack nods nervously, wondering what he had done that had obviously caused Ianto to no longer want him.

"You remember when we were at Gwen's place and you referred to my place as home." Ianto pauses not sure how to continue.

Jack feels like banging his head against his desk. How could he be so stupid as to do that? Ianto must feel that he was trying to push him into something he obviously does not want. "Um, yeah, sorry about that, it kinda just slipped out." Jack manages to say as he feels his heart drop.

"That was what I wanted to speak to you about. I, um, wouldn't mind if you did, if you ever felt like it, to um, refer to it as your home, that's if you like." Ianto blurts out, his nerves getting the better of him. He curses himself as he feels his cheeks heat up.

Jack opens his mouth to defend himself, to try and win Ianto back. He blinks and closes his mouth once he realises that Ianto hadn't just dumped him. "Are you asking me to move in with you?" Jack can barely suppress his disbelief, he was sure Ianto was going to dump him, he must have miss heard him.

Ianto nods. "Only if you want to. Don't feel like you have to or anything. If you just want things to go back to how they were before, that's ok. It won't change things if you say no." Ianto babbles on, cursing himself as each word leaves his mouth.

Jack laughs from relief, here he was thinking that Ianto wanted to dump him but he actually wanted him to move in. Jack couldn't believe it. It had been such a long time since he had live anywhere outside The Hub and longer still since he had lived with a lover.

Ianto feels his heart sink as Jack laughs. He knew it was bad idea, why did he do it? They had a perfectly good thing going on and he had to wreck it by asking Jack to move in with him. He was such an idiot and now Jack was laughing at him. He must think Ianto is so stupid for thinking someone like Jack would actually want to move in with him. Jack could have anyone, why would he go for plain boring Ianto.

"I'm sorry sir. It was silly of me to suggest. Just forget about it. I'll just go and um, sort out the archives." Ianto stammers out as he heads for the door.

"No wait." Jack reaches out for Ianto as he realises that Ianto had misinterpreted his laughter. It hurt him that Ianto would think for a second that he would reject him.

Ianto turns back around at the feel of Jack grabbing his arm but can't manage to look Jack in the eye.

"Hey, look at me." Jack cups Ianto's chin and lifts it up so that Ianto has to look him in the eye. "I would love nothing more than to move in with you." Jack beams at the idea.

For a moment Ianto can't believe what he heard. "You're sure about it, you don't have to. I don't mind if things stay the same." He wonders what is wrong with him, why does he always have to put his foot in it.

Before Ianto can say anything else Jack pulls him in for a long and passionate kiss. He tries to push all his feelings into the kiss, hoping Ianto would believe him, believe that he wants to move in with him, that he loves him.

"Yes, yes, of course I want to move in with you. I couldn't think of anything I would love more." Jack pants as they break apart, foreheads resting together.

Ianto looks deeply into Jack's eyes, looking for anything that could contradict Jack's words.

Jack stands there as Ianto seems to look into his very soul.

Finally after a few tense moments Ianto breaks into a smile.

"You really want to move in with me. It's true." Ianto mutters in disbelief, his heart soaring.

"Of course." Jack smiles back. Not one of his huge grins he has for one he tells one of his stories, or when flirting for information. This smile is smaller but sincere, one that only a few get to see. Ianto feels it fill him with warmth, to know that Jack sees him as someone special, someone he wants to move in with.

"So I called Rhys, he says he can.." Gwen walks in without knocking. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No, its fine. I'll um, go do that archiving work." Ianto goes to excuse himself.

Jack grabs hold of him before he can move though.

"Yes, actually you were. Ianto just asked me to move in with him and I said yes." Jack beams and Ianto swears that his smile in that moment could light up a whole town.

Gwen looks at them in shock, having no idea what to say.

"So what did Rhys have to say?" Jack asks as he snakes an arm around Ianto's waist.

"He, um, said he could, as long as we tell him when and where." Gwen manages to stammer out.

"Good, good. Here, I've written down the place and say about 1 if that's good for him." Jack hands Gwen a piece of paper.

Gwen just nods before heading out.

"You think she's happy for us?" Jack muses as he pulls Ianto in for a hug.

"I hope so." Ianto answers as they hear footsteps heading towards the door.

"Can't you lot just give us a moment alone." Jack pouts as Jestine enters.

"Hey, just wanted to give you some of the paperwork that I have finished." Jestine holds her hands up in surrender.

Ianto raises an eyebrow, it was too convenient timing that.

"Ok, ok, you got me. I wanted to know what put Gwen into such a huff." Jestine admits.

"I'm moving in with Ianto." Jack once again beams.

"Fuck, no, seriously." Jestine grins at them.

Jack nods his head in confirmation.

"Oi, Owen you owe me 10 pounds." Jestine calls out to the medic.

"Why does Owen owe you 10 pounds?" Ianto asks Jestine suspiciously.

"Not really important, just had a bet, that's all. Still great on you." Jestine congratulates them.

"What was the bet?" Jack asks sternly.

Jestine looks away guilty. "Well the other day I mentioned how you two have been spending like every night together and that it was only a matter of time before you moved in together. Owen disagreed so we made a bet. I wagered that you two would be living together within a month. Owen thought you would never move in together." Jestine admits.

Jack can't help but laugh. Sure it wasn't great of them to be betting on their colleagues personal live, it was something he expected of the two.

Ianto glares at him and Jestine. "Can you not make bets on my or Jack's personal life."

"I'm sorry, I didn't think there was anything wrong with it." Jestine tries to plea innocence.

Ianto just looks at her sceptically.

"Ok, fine, I had a feeling that you probably wouldn't like it, but it didn't hurt you or anything. I don't see the problem."

"It's called respecting people's privacy. You wouldn't like it if we pried into your personal life." Ianto reprimands her.

Jestine sighs and admits defeat. "Ok, I'm sorry, I won't enter into anymore bets with Owen about you two."

"Good." Ianto responds.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So team bonding, what kind of activities are team bonding?" Jestine asks as they set up the picnic while waiting for the others to arrive. Tosh and Owen had left together and Gwen had gone to met up with Rhys and then head to the park.

"Well anything that brings people together, helps you get to know yourself and others better can be counted as team bonding." Jack explains.

"Oh, that kinda makes sense. So what are some activities that are team building?"

"Things like playing a game of basketball can be. Working together on a puzzle, those kinds of things." Jack explains.

Jestine nods, the concept starting to make sense to her. "So sex would be a team bonding exercise."

"No, sex is defiantly not a team bonding exercise." Jack replies quickly, wanting to move on from the conversation as quick as possible.

Jestine frowns at Jack's answer. "But what brings people together better and helps people get to know themselves and others better?"

"Sex is not team bonding because it is not appropriate." Ianto answers for Jack. "In the 21st century sex is kept out of the workplace."

"But you don't." Jestine response, the contradictions confusing her.

"We don't do a lot of things normal workplaces do." Ianto responds. "Now can you talk about something else? We also don't talk about sex in public in the 21st century."

Jestine rolls her eyes. She was just trying to find out more about how this society operated.

"This was a nice idea though" Ianto comments as he gets the basket containing the food out.

"I thought we could all do with a relaxing lunch away from the Hub." Jack lays down on the rug and indicates for Ianto to lie down next to him. Ianto chooses to sit down next to him instead.

"Here they are." They hear Tosh call out to Owen. They wave in return greeting.

"The others not here yet?" Tosh asks as she settles herself down on the rug.

"Gwen just smsed, she says they should be here in 5 to 10 minutes." Jack tells them.

"Hope they hurry up, I'm starving." Owen goes to peck into the basket but Ianto hits his hand away.

The team settle themselves down to wait for the other members.

"So when you two move in together are you going to get a new place or just use Ianto's current place?" Tosh asks.

Jack shrugs. "I'm happy as long as it has windows and Ianto."

"That's really sweet." Tosh smiles at Jack and Ianto, they did make such a cute couple.

"Probably would be easier to just stay at my place. Not like we would really get the time to look at places and move." Ianto replies, trying to stop the blush that was creeping up at the attention.

"Cause you two will now have your own place does that mean you'll stop snogging in front of us?" Owen asks.

"Never." Jack grins and demonstrates by pulling Ianto down for a kiss.

"Keep it in your pants." Owen grumbles as the men break apart for air, Ianto blushing slightly at the attention their actions had attracted.

"Hello hello." Rhys greets them as he walks up, Gwen right behind him.

The team all respond with greetings.

"Thanks for including me. Gwen said not to bring anything but we stopped by the bakery and got desert." Rhys hands Ianto the box.

"Thank you." Ianto packs it away for later.

"So you lot often have picnics for your lunches?" Rhys asks as he lowers himself down.

"No first time, thought we could all do with some fresh air." Jack replies.

"Not really that fresh the air." Jestine comments. "Now Bleque, that's a planet with fresh air."

"What is Bleque?" Rhys asks, really confused by the statement.

"It's a planet, just on the edge of the Milky Way galaxy. Although you lot won't discover it for a long time yet." Jestine replies.

Rhys is completely confused by Jestine.

"Don't worry about her. She says things like that, just nod." Ianto advisors them.

"Ok, foods ready." Jack lays out the spread between the group.

_**Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood- Torchwood-Torchwood-Torchwood**_

"So how exactly does someone become involved in a place like Torchwood?" Rhys asks as they eat.

"Well Torchwood found me. When I needed my team I look for people I needed. I found Tosh and Owen as well as a former employee Suzie. Ianto came to me after working at another branch which was destroyed and Gwen stumbled across us." Jack explains. "As for Jestine, who found who is debatable."

"More like you lot found trouble and I helped you out of it." Jestine argues.

"Because you would know nothing about finding trouble?" Ianto comments sarcastically.

"I don't find trouble. It finds me." Jestine retorts.

"Still, that's the basics of how we become involved in Torchwood." Jack hopes that Rhys won't ask for more details.

Rhys nods, realising that Jack didn't want to give him any more details than that.

"So are there a lot of aliens just walking around the place without us realising?" Rhys asks.

"Probably not as many as you suspect but more than you think." Jestine answers.

Rhys takes Ianto's earlier advice and just nods.

Jack leans against Ianto, enjoying the company.

"So when do you think you will move in?" Tosh asks Jack.

Jack shrugs. "Could probably do it soon. I don't have much to move."

"You moving somewhere?" Rhys asks.

"Yeah, Ianto asked me to move in with him. No way could I turn that down." Jack grins as his heart is filled with joy and knowing that Ianto to live with him.

"Big step. Although at least there won't be any arguments about leaving the seat up." Rhys jokes. The team laugh, enjoying the change from their normal working conditions.

The moment is interrupted though by Jack's phone going off.

He pulls it out and looks at the caller id. "Excuse me." Jack excuses himself from the group.

"Who could that be?" Gwen asks. "Couldn't be any of us, so who else would call Jack?"

Jestine rolls her eyes. "Just cause he doesn't have family in the same sense as you, doesn't mean that there is no one who would call him. He has friends, as well as many contacts." Jestine responds.

"As long as it doesn't result in any work for me I don't care." Owen adds.

Jack returns a few moments later, his carefree mood gone. "Sorry but we've got to finish now and head back to base. UNIT has come across something that they want our help with. They are sending Doctor Jones over to help us." Jack explains.

"Not another bloody Jones, isn't one enough." Owen grumbles.

"Could be worse, could be another you." Ianto retorts.

"It was great to get to know you a bit Rhys, we will have to do this again." Jack shakes Rhys' hand.

"Yeah it was good. Guess I'll see you around." He waves goodbye to the team before going back to his car, Gwen going with Jack, Ianto and Jestine in the SUV.

"That was fun while it lasted." Jestine comments as they pack up. "Although I still think we should go camping sometime."

"You can go camping all you want, but I aren't going with you." Owen tells her sternly.

"Let's just find out what UNIT has for us now." Ianto interrupts before an argument can start.

**Thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you think. The next chapter will be my take on Reset. Till next time.**


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